Kolhapur

Kolhapura Mahalakshmi Temple

Kolhapur is famous for the Mahalakshmi temple, Kolhapuri chappals and its traditional jewellery like nuth and bugdi. The Kolhapura Mahalakshmi temple is one of the Astadala peethas.

Inside the temple premises
Something different

The Mahalakshmi temple is unique due to the fact that one can get darshana of the Devi even from outside without getting in the crowd, and the visibility is also very clear. There are six entrances and exits to the temple.  One can get the things to offer to the goddess inside and as well as outside the temple. We can find people buying sarees, flowers, bangles, beetelnuts and leaves,Kumkum,coconut and all the stuff needed to offer to the goddess in one place.

We can find Sakshi Ganesha at the entrance of the temple, there is a
belief that he counts all the visitors to the temple.


The time I visited the temple mangalaharati was going on and the custom is for all women folk should go before Garbha gudi and sit before goddess and sing the prayer songs once the aarathi is done.Everybody should clap then they will sprinkle the water on all the devotes, after that we can offer pooja.


After finishing the darshana of the goddess we came outside to buy the prasada. As a lady I am tempted to try new jewellery from all the places and I ended up purchasing a Bhugadi, nuth, a pearl necklace and antique jewellery. I also bought a pair of Kolhapuri chappels, keychains (for my son) and the most cute one was a keychain of kolhapur chappels.

Nath, Bhugadi, and antique jwellery.

Kolhapur chappels

Auto rickshaw drivers are much more sincere and honest in Kolhapur unlike Bengaluru(Bangalore).

My one year and seven month old son cooperated a lot during travel, He enjoyed his train journey,the hotel premises, auto, everything we travelled.He saw a Lion statue on the garuda gamba and started telling
us again and again about it and mimicing it. Even in sleep he was recalling the statue of the lion.

As soon as he entered the train he wanted to sit on the upper berth and slide from there, it became difficult for both of us to handle him. During the return train journey we saw a couple of Peacocks and he started to show both of us the way they were flying,

Anything new he finds he started imitating it.