After Having darshan in Pandharpur ,we proceed
toKolhapur Mahalaxmi temple. The Shri Mahalakshmi Temple of Kolhapur in
Maharashtra, India, is one of the Shakti Peethas also called Dakshin Kashi,
listed in various puranas of Hinduism.
A shakti peetha is a place
associated with Shakti, the goddess of power. The Kolhapur peetha is of special
religious significance, being one of the six places where it is believed one
can either obtain salvation from desires or have them fulfilled. The temple's
actual name is Ambabai Temple.The temple takes its name from Mahalakshmi, the
consort of Vishnu, and it is believed that the divine couple reside in the
area.
Mahalaxmi or Ambabai temple as it
is locally known is situated in the heart of the Kolhapur city in South
Maharashtra. The temple was constructed sometime in 6-7th cen. AD. The temple
belongs, architecturally, to the Kannada Chalukya empire, and may have been
first built circa 700 AD. Mounted on a stone platform, the image of the four
armed and crowned goddess is made of gemstone and weighs about 40 kilograms.
The image of Mahalakshmi carved in black stone is 3 feet in height. The Shri
yantra is carved on one of the walls in the temple. A stone lion, the vahana of
the goddess, stands behind the statue. The temple has been patronised over the
years by various ruling dynasties like the Marathas, Yadavas, Silharas etc. The
sabhamandapa appears to have been built during the maratha period and has a
wooden construction typical to that period. The temple walls are ornate with
several motifs and figurines of Gods, Goddesses, Apsaras, Gandharvas, Yakshas
etc.
Visit the temple at 5am so as to
get good "darshan"., there was no queue and we could complete the
darshan of Goddess Mahalaxmi in less than 15 minutes with reasonable time to
spend in sanctum sanctorum. . The inner soul get purified by the simple darshan
of ambadevi/ Goddess Mahalaxmi. We have experienced the "kripa" of
Goddess Mahalaxmi and get a lot of positive vibes and immense peace of mind
inside in front of the Goddess, something that only a few can experience and
cannot be expressed in words.
There are a number of deity
around the temple complex and make sure from which side you have entered as
there are 4 entrances and from inside all looks similar. With peaceful internal
surrounding embedded in beautifully crafted pillars Maa lakshmi temple brings
in the old age Indian sculpture art at its best.
Jyotibha temple
After visiting to Mahalaxmi
temple we started journey to Jyotiba temple which is one of ancient temple in
India & belongs to Nath Sampradaya people.
Temple is situated in Sahyadri
mountain ranges. It's 3000metre above sea level. Situated at north west of
Kolhapur city about 20 km. Better to travel by car as bus frequency not much. As
location on mountain so road is zig-zag / Ghat section. After reaching there
when getting into temple we saw 'Gulal' everywhere. Piligrims fly red Gulal -
Auspicious powder, the floor of temple looking all pink and beautiful need to
experience it once.
Maharaja's Palace
The New Palace is a stunning
example of the royal architecture of the time. Even today it's a residence to
Chhatrapati Shahu, Shivaji's direct descendent.
It was constructed between
1877–1884. They took 35 rs entry fee at the gate. While entering the museum There is a small lake
with deers and peacocks and good raised staircase for viewing the animals better.
New Palace Museum has a great collection of historical photos,
paintings, furniture and other valuable things. One section has all the animals
likes stuffed Tigers, Tiger heads, Sloth Bear, Black Panther, Wild Boar, etc.
Darbar hall is a really beautiful place in this palace. Taxidermy facilitated
the mounting of several heads of Wild Animals as well as on display were full
bodied stuffed wild animals in their original skin chemically treated for preservation…
Awesome !….
Darbar hall occupies double
height and raised throne at the end of the hall. We can see so many weapons
like swards , arrows , & so many other weapons. Weapons that included
Spears, Pistols, Cannons, Guns, Rifles, Swords, Knives, Axes and many others T he
building was neatly done up with stone and had balconies and minarets and was
neatly carved.
Important Documents and Parchments,
Photographs and oil Paintings that captured the grandeur of the Royal Family…
there is one document from the Governor General of the British Empire in India
bestowing the Title of Maharaja to the Head of the Royal Family of Kolhapur at
the time …. Hunting was a passionate Royal activity…. One of the
best preserved Heritage places in Maharashtra as well as India. The palace is
well maintained to its prehistoric conditions while converting it into a
museum. history lovers may find this place a treasure tomb.. It will take 1 to
2 hrs to cover the museum . Overall very beautiful New Palace in the heart of
City.
The Binkhambi Ganesh Mandir is a
temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha located very close to the Mahalaxmi temple.
The temple is not crowded and we got our Darshan very quickly. The unique
aspect about this temple is that there are no pillars used for supporting the
roof of the temple.
Preparation of Jaggery:
As you step into a jaggery plant
you will be cordially greeted with a refreshing welcome drink. You can also sip
on fresh sugarcane juice that is heavenly nectar for tired travelers.
Jaggery is prepared by a very
simple method using simple machines and few large and small vessels. It also
does not require a large space as well. The cut and cleaned sugarcane brought
from fields are stored in the premises. These canes are put into the power
driven crusher (earlier it used to be done through oxen driven crushers). The
extracted sugarcane juice gets directly stored in a concrete storage tank. The
remaining wood pulp is scattered near the unit for drying. After that, the
juice is transferred to a large iron vessel for heating on a furnace through a
motor driven machine.
The vessel is heated for about one hour and the dried
wood pulp from the crushed sugarcane is used as fuel for the furnace. It’s
amazing to know that every part of the cane is used in the process. During
boiling process all the wood particles are cleared by skimming of the froth
from the vessel. By constant boiling the juice gets significantly reduced and
gets thickened up and becomes golden in colour. It is stirred continuously and
lifted with a spatula to check its thickness. If it forms many threads, it has
completely thickened. after cooling down the jaggery becomes a soft solid which
is now pressed into the desired shape for selling at the market.
Before
pressing the semi solid into the vessel for desired shape a cloth is put in it
so that jaggery can be easily pulled out after it gets converted into solid
state. The fresh aroma of jaggery was very tempting. The quality of the jaggery
is judged by its colour, brown means it is higher in impurities and
golden-yellow implies it is relatively pure. The owner informed us that there
are malpractices of adding colour or harmful chemicals to simulate the golden
colour. Finally, we got a taste of fresh jaggery and it was pure, fresh and
amazing.
Nothing compares to the warm,
sugary deliciousness of freshly prepared jaggery. This is some of the purest
jaggery that you will taste in your lifetime.
ThePanchgangaRiver
Uttareshwar Mahadev Temple:
Rankala Lake:
The Rankala Lake is a very famous
tourist attraction for people from all over the world. Marked by the natural
beauty and peaceful environment. The lake was constructed by Shri Chhatrapati
Shahu Maharaj, the then king of Kolhapur.
Its a cool place and is very near
to Mahalaxmi Temple. especially in evening beautiful sunset is seen at evening
is lake is speciality of kolhapur and also available food at evening
time...most beautiful place
In one day we visited so many places.What a great place Kolhapur
really enjoyed a lot! The journey was truly very memorable and had amazing
experience. Still Many places to visit yet. Waiting for one more trip!
