Ambabai Temple of Kolhapur | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Hinduism |
District | Kolhapur |
Deity | Mahalakshmi |
Festivals | Kirnotsav, Rathotsav, Lakshmi Puja, Lalita Panchami, Navratri, Diwali, Varalakshmi Vratham |
Governing body | Paschim Maharashtra Devasthan Samiti |
Location | |
Location | Bhavani Mandap, Mahadwar Road, Kolhapur |
State | Maharashtra |
Country | India |
Location in Maharashtra | |
Geographic coordinates | 16°42′00″N74°14′00″E / 16.70000°N 74.23333°E |
Architecture | |
Style | Hemadpanti architecture |
Creator | Karnadeva, Chalukya Empire |
Completed | 7th century CE |
Website | |
www |
Mahalakshmi Temple (also known as Ambabai Mandir) is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Mahalakshmi, who resides here as Supreme Mother Mahalakshmi and is worshipped by locals as Ambabai. Goddess Mahalakshmi is the consort of Lord Vishnu and it is customary among Hindus to visit Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple and Padmavathi Temple as a yatra (pilgrimage). It is believed that visiting these temples as a pilgrimage helps achieve moksha (salvation). [1]
The temple of the goddess Mahalakshmi was built by Karnadeva in 634 CE Chalukya reign. [2] Mounted on a stone platform, the murti of the 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 crown contains a five headed snake. Furthermore, she holds a Matulinga fruit, mace, shield and a pānapātra (drinking bowl). In Lakshmi Sahasranama of Skanda Purana, Goddess Lakshmi is praised as "Om Karaveera Nivasiniye Namaha" means "Glory to the Goddess who lives in Karaveera" and as "Om Sesha Vasuki Samsevyaa Namaha" means "Glory to Goddess who is served by Adi Sesha and Vasuki". They are the 119th and 698th names of Lakshmi in Lakshmi Sahasranama. This is also the description mentioned in the Rahasya of Devi Mahatmya. [3] Professor Prabhakar Malshe says, "The name of Karaveera is still locally used to denote the city of Kolhapur". [4]
The temple belongs architecturally to the Chalukya empire and was first built in the 7th century. [5] The temple is referred to in multiple Puranas. There is evidence to show that the Konkan king Kamadeo, Chalukyas, Shilahara, Yadavas of Devagiri dynasties visited this city. Adi Shankaracharya also visited.
In 109 CE, Karnadeo cut off the jungle and brought the temple to light. The existence goes back to the 8th century, according to Bhandarkar and Khare.[ who? ] Itihāsa Chakra indicates that the temple dates back to Mahājanapadā times. In the 8th century, the temple sank down due to an earthquake. In the 9th century, King Gandavadix extended the temple by building Mahakali Mandir. During 1178–1209, in the reign of Raja Jaysing and Sindhava, South gate and Atibaleshwar Temple were built. In 1218, Yadav king Tolum built Mahadwar and offered jewels to Devi. Furthermore, Shilaharas built Maha Sarasvati Mandir. He, being a Jain, got 64 idols carved. It is possible that a new idol called Padmavati was installed at that time. Historian Paul Dundas in his book The Jains [6] mentions that Mahalaxmi temple Kolhapur was a Jain temple. [7] [8] Sheshashayee Vishnu which is an octagonal structure closer to the eastern gate has a panel of 60 Jain Tirthankaras carvings. [9] [10] Jains worshipped the idol in the temple as Padmalaya or the abode of Padma or Padmavati, an epithet of Goddess Lakshmi. [11] Furthermore, in Chalukya times, Ganapati before the temple was installed. In the 13th century, Shankaracharya built Nagar Khana and Office, Deepmalas.
Lakshmi, also known as Shri, is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, royal power and abundance. She along with Parvati and Sarasvati, forms the trinity called the Tridevi.
Kolhapur is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
Sringeri also called Shringeri is a hill town and Taluk headquarters located in Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the site of the first maṭha established by Adi Shankara, Hindu theologian and exponent of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. Located on the banks of the river Tungā, the town draws a large number of pilgrims to its temples of Sri Sharadamba, Sri Vidyashankara, Sri Malahanikareshvara and other deities.
Parshvanatha, or Pārśva and Pārasanātha, was the 23rd of 24 Tirthankaras of Jainism. Parshvanatha is one of the earliest Tirthankara who is acknowledged as a historical figure. The Jain sources place him between the 9th and 8th centuries BCE whereas historians consider that he lived in the 8th and 7th century BCE.
Prabhas Patan, historically named Dev Patan, is a locality in Veraval, Gujarat. As the site of the Somnath temple and its associated Jyotirlinga, it is an important place of Hindu pilgrimage.
Padmāvatī is the protective goddess or śāsana devī (शासनदेवी) of Pārśvanātha, the twenty-third Jain tīrthāṅkara, complimenting Parshwa yaksha in Swetambara and Dharanendra in digambar the shasan deva. She is a yakshini of Parshwanatha.
Walkeshwar is an affluent area in South Mumbai, India, at the north-western end of the Marine Drive loop. It has a large Gujarati population. It is mostly known for Walkeshwar Temple, Banganga Tank and Jain temples.
The Shilahara was a royal dynasty that established itself in northern and southern Konkan in 8th century CE, present-day Mumbai and Southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) during the Rashtrakuta period.
The Kamakshi Amman Temple, also known as Kamakoti Nayaki Kovil, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Kamakshi, one of the highest aspects of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess in Shaktism. The temple is located in the historic city of Kanchipuram, near Chennai, India.
The Lakshmi Purana is an Odia text written in the 15th century by Balarama Dasa, a major poet of Odia literature. Despite its name, it is not one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism, having been written in the medieval era as a piece of regional literature that discusses gender and social norms.
In Jainism, Ambika or Ambika Devi is the yakshini "dedicated attendant deity" or Śāsana Devī "protector goddess" of the 22nd Tirthankara, Neminatha. She is also known as Ambai, Amba, Kushmandini and Amra Kushmandini. She is often shown with one or more children and often under a tree. She is frequently represented as a pair with a small Tirthankar image on the top. The name ambika literally means mother, hence she is Mother Goddess. The name is also a common epithet of Hindu Goddess Parvati.
Jainism in North Karnataka flourished under the Chalukyas, Kadamba, Rashtrakutas, and Vijayanagara Empire. Imbued with religious feeling, patronage was extended towards the building of Jain temple and it garnered high repute among the people, particularly the ruling classes and the mercantile community; effectively getting treated as the state religion.
Kopeshwar Temple is at Khidrapur, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. This temple is in Maharashtra It is also accessible from Sangli as well. It was built in the 12th century by Shilahara king Gandaraditya between 1109 and 1178 CE. It is to the east of Kolhapur, ancient & artistic on the bank of the Krishna river. Even though Silaharas were Jain kings, they built and renovated various Hindu temples, thus depicting their respect and love for all religions. Kopeshwar means angry Shiva.
The Brahma Jinalaya, sometimes called as the Greater Jain Temple of Lakkundi, is an early 11th-century Mahavira temple in Lakkundi, Gadag District of Karnataka state, India. The temple is attributed to Attiyabbe, the wife of the local governor Dandanayaka Nagadeva. It faces east, has a mukhamandapa, a gudhamandapa and its sanctum is covered by a sur-temple style vimana superstructure. The temple is notable for its reliefs depicting Jaina artwork, statues of the Tirthankaras and the two statues of Brahma and Saraswati inside its inner mandapa.
Jagadamba is an epithet used to address a Hindu goddess, primarily applied to Lakshmi and Parvati in literature.
Bara Mandir is a historic Jain temple in Jabalpur, India, right on the edge of Hanumantal, once the main center of Jabalpur.
Padmavathi Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Padmavathi (Alamelumanga), the consort of Venkateswara. The temple is situated in Tiruchanur area of Tirupati city in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India.
The Humcha Jain temples or Humcha basadis are a group of temples found in Humcha village of Shimoga district in Karnataka, India. They were constructed in the 7th century CE in the period of the Santara dynasty and are regarded as one of the major Jain centres of Karnataka. The Padmavati Basadi is the most well-known of these temples.
The Ahichchhatra Jain temples is a group of Jain temples in Ahichchhatra village in Aonla tehsil of Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, North India. Ahichchhatra is believed to be the place where Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankar of Jainism, attained Kevala Jnana.
Ekadash Rudra Mahadev Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at Mangrauni village of Madhubani district in the Mithila region of Bihar, India.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)