goddess or shakti or devi ma is worshipped all over india in her different forms. in north india vaishno devi ma is most revered form of goddess, whereas in west bengal kali ma is more revered form of maa and so on. in maharashtra, goddess is revered in her many forms like amba bai, kalu bai, yamai devi, mahalaxmi ma, bhavani ma and so on. there are many temples devoted to goddess in maharashtra, during navratri festival, these temples are visited by devotees in large numbers.
goddess or devi temples in maharashtra:
1. shakti peeth temples – there are 51 shakti peeth temples in indian sub-continent. out of them 4 (actually 3 and half) shakti peeths temples are in maharashtra. these shakti peeth temples are very famous in maharashtra. lakhs of devotees visit them during 9 days of navratri festival.
shakti peeth temples in maharashtra are:
a) saptashringi temple in vani, nashik – the temple is situated around 60 km from nashik admist pure nature. the temple is on hill surrounded by lush green mountains. it is considered as half shakti peeth. you have to climb around 250-400 steps to reach the temple top. it is visited by lakhs of devotees during navratri festival.
b) mahalakshmi temple at kolhapur – it is a very old and architecturally rich temple. the temple contain contain idols of mahalakshmi, mahakali and mahasaraswati. she is kul-devi of many maharashtrian families. many people visit this temple after visiting tirupati balaji.
c) tulja bhavani temple at tuljapur, solapur – the temple is devoted to goddess bhavani. she is family deity of many royal families of maharashtra. great king shiva ji maharaj also used to worship bhavani ma.
d) renuka ma temple at mahur, nanded – mahur is said to be the birthplace of goddess renuka and lord dattatreya. renuka mata is mother of lord parshuram (sixth avatar of lord vishnu).
2. mumbai devi temple, mumbai – the temple is dedicated to goddess mumba. the mumbai city is named after this goddess. mumba devi is worshipped by the original inhabitants of mumbai city that is agri (salt collectors) and kolis (fisherfolk).
3. chaturshringi temple, pune – the presiding deity of this temple is goddess chaturshringi, also known as goddess ambareshwari. she is also considered as the presiding deity of the pune city. the temple is located on the slope of a hill on senapati bapat road.
4. vajreshwari devi temple, mumbai – temple is dedicated to the goddess vajreshwari and is located in the town vajreshwari, 75 km away from mumbai.
5. yamai devi temple, satara – yamai devi is kul-devi of many maharashtrian families. the temple is situated at a hill in aundh town of satara district. it is said that goddess mahalaxmi of kolhapur and lord jyotiba called her as “Ye Mai” (in marathi) which means “come mother” in english. hence, she is known as yamai devi. 5 km from this place is amba bai temple. another temple of yamai devi is close to lord jyotiba temple in kolhapur.
6. kalu bai temple, wai – kaleshwari devi is fondly called as kalubai by the devotees. she is the kul devi of many maharashtrian families. there is a annual kalubai jatra pilgrimage over a ten-day period every january.
7. sita gufa in panchvati – it is believed that during 14 years of exile lord rama, laxmana and ma sita stayed in panchvati area of nashik. sita ma stayed in this gufa for one night when lord rama and laxmana were fighting with demons. this placed is visited by many devotees everyday. close to this temple is famous kalaram and goraram temple also. from panchvati area only, demon king ravana abducted sita ma.
8. mahalaxmi temple, mumbai – one of the most famous temple in mumbai. the temple is situated close to famous siddhivinayak temple and everyday large number of devotees visit this temple. the temple contain images of mahalakshmi, mahakali and mahasaraswati.
9. ekvira devi temple, lonavala – she is avatar of renuka mata (mother of lord parhurama) and is also worshipped as renuka mata in many temples. this temple is located near the karla caves near lonavala. it is believed that the temple was build by pandavas in one night. ekveera devi wanted to test their devotion. so she put this condition that temple has to be built in one night only. pandavas made this beautiful temple in one night. then ekvira devi blessed pandavas that they won’t found out by anyone during one year of secret exile period.
10. amba devi temple at amaravati – this old temple is situated at the heart of the amaravati city, 155 km from nagpur. as per legend, lord krishna married rukmini after abducting her when she came to pray at the amba devi temple. this temple is popular in vidarbha region of maharashtra.
11. renuka mata glass temple in sonai – renuka mata is mother of lord parshuram, (sixth avatar of lord vishnu). there is a beautiful renuka mata temple near famous shanishingnapur shani temple. the temple is very calm and popular among local people.
12. satpuda manudevi temple, adgaon in jalgaon – she is the kuldevi of many people staying in the jalgaon district.
13. parvati hill temple, pune – temple is situated on a hill top. it was build during peshwa time. you have to climb 108 steps to reach the temple.
14. mata mandir koradi, nagpur – old temple dedicated to jagdamaba mata
15. sitladevi temple, mahim, mumbai
note – the first photo in this post is of mahalaxmi ma, kolhapur.
krishna gupta says
Mahalaxmi ko mera naman