Do you know these things about the Mahalaxmi-Ambabai Temple in Kolhapur? | Kolhapur Mahalaxmi Mandir Full Information

Do you know these things about the Mahalaxmi-Ambabai Temple in Kolhapur?

Kolhapur Mahalaxmi - Ambabai

The two words Kolhapur and Ambabai Temple are so intertwined that they seem almost synonymous. The temple of Kolhapur is sometimes referred to as Ambabai and sometimes as Mahalaxmi.

For the past several centuries, millions of people have been coming to the city to have darshan of the goddess of Kolhapur.

The history of the temple is ancient, but this temple has seen many centuries of history unfold.

It can be said from the ruins found on the Brahmapuri hill that the city of Kolhapur or the early settlement began on the banks of the Panchganga river.

The Rashtrakutas completed their central Mahalaxmi i.e. Ambabai temple in the ninth century by connecting the original six villages of Brahmapuri, Uttareshwar, Kholkhandoba, Rankala, Padmala and Ravaneswar, according to the Marathi encyclopedia.

Mahalaxmi Temple Kolhapur 

This village was the capital of the Shilaharas in the 10th-12th centuries. After experiencing the rule of different kings during the middle period, this village gained special importance after the establishment of the Maratha Empire.

After the Maratha Empire was divided into two, two different gadis were formed, namely Satara and Kolhapur. The legacy of the gadi of Kolhapur continues till date.

Today, if we think about the history of this Ambabai, Mahalaxmi temple, we have to consider both mythological and known historical evidence.

It is also mentioned in the Puranas and history has been written on some documentary evidence.

Renowned editor Arun Tikekar has given some information about this temple in his book 'Sthalkal'. He writes, 'The sanctum sanctorum of the temple was built by a Chalukya subhedar named Karnadev in 624 and later a king named Marasingh of the Shilaharas expanded this temple and it is believed that Gandaraditya from his own dynasty added a culmination to the temple.'

Mahalaxmi Temple Deep Mal

'During the Yadava rule, in the 13th century, the main temple was joined by temples of the deities Mahakali and Mahasaraswati. In fact, there are temples of many deities in the sky of the Mahalakshmi temple. This temple had bad days during the Muslim rule, but it is said that after the Chhatrapati's rule was established, the temple and the idols of the deities there ended their unknown existence,' writes Tikekar.

The following entry is found in the Marathi Encyclopedia about Lakshmi. "The deity of the Sri Sukta, which is considered as an appendix to the Rigveda, is 'Shri', that is, 'Lakshmi'. Because it is in the Sri Sukta that Lakshmi is worshipped. Sri or Lakshmi is the presiding deity of wealth. She is famous as the self-illuminating, the goddess of wealth, the owner of the horse-chariot-gajadi, the owner of the Padmani and the holder of the Padma.

"This Lakshmi destroys poverty. Lakshmi, who rules over all beings, fulfills the desires of the mind. It gives the realization of the truth of speech. The names of the sons of Lakshmi, Kardam and Chiklit, are mentioned in the Sri Sukta. In the mantras considered as Prakshipta in the Sri Sukta, Lakshmi is mentioned as Vishnu's wife, Madhavapriya, Achyutavallabha.

"She is also called Mahalakshmi. She is the daughter of Vishnu and is the princess of the ocean of milk. She is also worshipped in the eight forms of wealth, grain, courage, bravery, knowledge, fame, victory and kingdom. Siddhalakshmi, Mokshalakshmi, Jayalakshmi etc. are forms of Lakshmi." This entry is found in the encyclopedia.

According to the book Durgasaptashati (Devi Mahatmya) by Vasudev Sharan, 'The three-gun, supreme and omnipresent Mahalakshmi is the original cause of the world. She has two forms, Saguna and Nirguna.

In the Saguna form, she holds a fruit of the mahlunga tree, a mace, a skin and a leaf cup in her hands, while on her head are the symbols of a serpent, a linga and a vagina. She has two forms, four-armed and eighteen-armed.

There is a story that Mahalakshmi took on the form of Tamogana and became Mahakali and took on the form of Sattvaguna and became Mahasaraswati. Later, she herself gave birth to Brahmadev and Lakshmi, and on her advice, Mahakali gave birth to Shankar and Tri Vidya, and Mahasaraswati gave birth to Vishnu and Gauri. Thus, the creation of the universe began and Mahalakshmi became the original cause of the universe.'

It further says, 'In Indian tradition, Lakshmi is the name of the wife of Vishnu, but the word Mahalakshmi, formed by adding the adjective Maha, is sometimes used in the sense of Vishnu's wife, sometimes in the sense of Shiva's wife, and sometimes in the sense of Shiva's wife. These two meanings are somewhat different from the meaning mentioned above.

'Both these meanings are given in the Sanskrit dictionary Vachaspatya. Since the word Lakshmi means a sign, the word Lakshmi means one with auspicious signs, i.e. one who brings good fortune. From this perspective, the adjective Mahalakshmi is meaningful for both the wife of Vishnu and the wife of Shiva. Because their devotees believe that both of them are benevolent deities.'

According to the information in the Devikosh book by P. K. Prabhudesai, 'Among the Khilsuktas of the Rigveda, it is found that she is considered the wife of Vishnu in the Sri Sukta. The Puranas also refer to the wife of Vishnu as Mahalakshmi. If an idol of Mahalakshmi is to be made in a place other than Kolhapur, the idol is made considering that she is the wife of Vishnu.' Mahalakshmi's temple is also in Goa, Jhansi, and Mumbai.

If we consider the structure of the present-day Mahalakshmi-Ambabai temple complex, we see the main gate at the beginning, doors in all four directions, sculptures of rams and bulls after entering, Nagarkhana, Deepmala, the central Mahalakshmi-Mahakali, Mahasaraswati temples, and temples of all four deities.

When asked about the current temple of Mahalaxmi, temple scholar Dr. Yogesh Prabhudesai gave more information to BBC Marathi.

In his book Mahalaxmi Samagra Darshan, he writes, "There is no evidence available about who built this temple and there are many theories about when it was built. According to one opinion, it was built in the 8th century AD during the Sindh dynasty. But if you look at the temple construction technique, it must be from around the 11th century AD."

Speaking to BBC Marathi, he said, "There are two phases of the Mahalaxmi temple, before and after 1055. The Chola kings tried to burn this temple, so most of it must have been made of wood."

Explaining the features of this temple, Prabhudesai said, "This Mahalaxmi temple should be called unique. It has two floors and two sanctuaries. The shikharas that are visible now must be very recent, i.e. from the 18th or 19th century."

He says about the structure of the temple, "On the second floor above the sanctum sanctorum of Shri Mahalakshmi, there is the Adyalinga or Matrilinga. The idol of Shri Mahalakshmi is on the Brahmasthan. Inside the sanctum sanctorum, there are halls like a bathhouse, a barn and a side hall. It is not possible to say what their purpose was in the past. When you look at the inner part of the roof of this temple, it is clear that the same structure that was made in wood has been copied in stone. The small ribs that intersect each other, the nails placed at the intersections of the ribs, and everything else, are exactly copied in stone."

History scholar Indranil Bankapure gave more information about the idol of Mahalakshmi to BBC Marathi. He says, "This idol is made of black stone, i.e. basalt. It is a standing idol. In her hands, she holds a mahalung, a seed-filled bowl, a mace, a shield, and a leaf. Idols with such designs are found in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha. As a goddess, her devotees are spread far and wide. Devotees from Odisha, West Bengal, and Northeast India come for darshan. Therefore, there is a crowd here during Navratri."