History, Importance, Timings, Festivals, Architecture, Social & Religious Activities, Interesting Facts and Travel Guide of Shri Mahalaxmi Mandir, Mumbai, India
The Mahalaxmi Temple is one of the most famous religious place in Mumbai. Dhakji Dadaji, merchant and devotee of goddess Mahalaxmi had built this temple in 1831. Shree Mahalaxmi (Goddess of Prosperity) is worshipped here along with Goddess Mahakali and Goddess Mahasaraswati. Mahalakshmi Mandir located at the North of the Malbar Hill on Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai is one of the prime attraction of city where thousands of devotee visits around the year.
Interesting legend is associated with temple construction, people assume the history of Hornby Vellard - a project for building a causeway to link the Seven Islands of Mumbai into a single island, with a natural dock. The project collapsed twice, when the chief engineer, Ramji Shivji Prabhu had a dream of a statue of the Devi in the sea. A searching team recovered the statue, and the engineer built the temple for the statue. He constructed this temple around 1785.
The Mahalaxmi Temple has a smooth structure and is very pleasant in appearance. The place is suitable for a serene climate. The interior of the temple is decorated with mesmerizing designs. The main corridor which leads to the temple is gorgeously ornamented. It adds beauty to the temple.
The temple consists of three different forms of the Adi Shakti – Shree Maha Kali (the destroyer of the evil), Shree Mahalaxmi (the Goddess of wealth), and Shree Saraswati (the Goddess of wisdom).
Goddess Laxmi is found to be seated on a tiger.
All the deities are placed on a beautiful silver-plated throne, also called Simhasan.
Drawings of peacocks and elephants are drafted at the front pillar of the Simhasan.
The three idols are ornamented with flowers and heavy jewelry. This indicates wealth and prosperity.
Shri Mahalakshmi Temple Mumbai daily Darshan timings
The timing for the darshan in the temple is from 6 am to 10.00 pm.
The timing is different in the case of Tuesday. It is from 3.15 am to 12.00 pm.
There is no system for any pre-booking. Devotees can have a free visit. They can collect the pooja tickets from the counter of the temple.
Two types of poojas are done here – Rudrabhisek and Laghurudrabhisek. They are the parts of regular rituals.
Besides, different types of Havans are performed. A person can arrange a special Havan within the temple territory.
There is a monthly Havan performed by the temple authority on every Ashtami.
There is a ritual called Maha Pooja, where devotees can offer a type of Havan on their preferred day. The last ritual is Archan. It is an integral part of regular prayer at the temple.
The main festival celebrated in the temple is the Navaratri. It is a 10-day long festival. The temple gets a different look during this time. Pilgrims come from various places to visit the deities. Sweets, flowers and so many things they offer to the Goddesses. The entire temple gets a makeover with lights and flowers at the time of Navaratri.
Diwali is another festival celebrated here. The deities are decorated with heavy ornaments and the whole temple looks gorgeous. The festival is celebrated for 3 to 4 days in October or November.
Annakut is another particular festival celebrated at the time of Kartik Purnima. The ‘Naivedya’ on this occasion contains 56 types of food platters and sweets, which are offered to the Goddesses. 500 devotees are served food in the form of ‘Prasad”.
‘Palkhi of Mataji’ is another festival celebrated on the first day of the Hindu New Year. A long march gets arranged on this day, and the deities are roamed around the city on a Palanquin.
The temple authority plans some special arrangements at the times of festivals. They make space for the devotees to have a glimpse of the Goddesses.
The best time to visit the temple is between June to February. Though, at the times of the festivals, the devotees witness a more beautiful scenario.
One can contact the temple authority at this number – 022 2351 3831, to get an idea about the timings and rituals.
The Mahalaxmi temple is another popular tourist destination in Mumbai. The temple is a significant representation of Indian architecture.
How to Reach Mahalakshmi Temple, Mumbai, The capital of Maharashtra, India
Mahalaxmi Mandir is located at the center, the Mahalaxmi temple is easily reachable from every part of the city. The nearby airport to the temple is the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, located 14kms away from the temple. The nearby railway station is the Mahalaxmi railway station. The temple is around 1km away from the station. Anyone can also take local trains from Virar or Church gate station (the western line). Local trains will reach you at Dadar. People have to take another train from Dadar to reach the temple. If you are traveling by road, the public buses and private cabs are the best options to make it there. As Mumbai is capital of Maharashtra and financial center of India, it is very well connected with all major cities of India and also all the major cities of world. You can easily get flights to reach Mumbai from any corner of world. Mumbai has major railway junctions from where you can get train to reach almost all major cities of India. Every year millions of tourist and visitors across the world reaches here at Mumbai for different purpose. So public transport is also very much develop to facilitate them. Mumbai is located at just 150 km from Pune, 166 km from Nashik, 84 km from Matheran, 82 km from Lonavala, 245 km from Shirdi, 197 km from Bhimashankar, 177 km from Trambak etc.
