Oldest, most honored and glorious of all the temples in Mumbai, The Mahalakshmi Temple has always held and will continue to hold a special place in the hearts of Mumbai people as well devotees of Devi Mahalakshmi. Mahalakshmi Temple is situated on the north of Malabar Hill on Bhulabhai Desai Road in Mumbai. Abode of three Goddesses of Indians- Shree Mahakali, Shree Mahalakshmi and Shree Mahasaraswati, the temple has Devi Lakshmi as the prime deity. It is only after her name that the temple is named as Mahalakshmi Temple – Mumbai.
The main sanctum known as Gabhara has idols of the three Goddesses lavishly decked with ornaments on beautifully carved and silver covered thrones. Having a darshan of these idols is an absolute delight for thousands of visitors and pilgrims visiting the temple. Facing towards the deities is a silver plated Lion at the center of the hall. A Lakshmi Yantra is embedded on the main gate of this sanctum. Outside this main hall of sanctum, there are two small idols of Lord Ganpati and Vithal-Rukhamini. Around the entrance, there is a 10.60 meters high Dhwajstambh and a Deepmala. The Dhwajstambh which is the prime attraction of the temple is a single block of wood covered with sheets of silver while Deepmala is carved out of stone.
Set around shores of sea, the ambience of the temple is also loved a lot by the visitors. To their convenience, there are several stalls and shops outside the temple selling items required for offering prayes.
Mythological and historical connections
There is an interesting story associated with the history of this temple. Built up in about 1785, the construction of temple bears connection with linking of Worli-Malabar Islands during the rule of British in India. The engineers and technicians had tried hard but all went in vain. One night, Devi Shree Mahalakshmi appeared in dream of Shri Ramji Shivji Prabhu, the chief engineer of the project and instructed him to take all her idols out of the Worli creek and enshrine them in a temple. He committed to the goddess of following her instructions, took out all the idols and placed them on the top of hillock. It was only then that Breach Candy could be constructed and two islands got connected.
Festivals and fairs
Navratri is the gala time at the temple. The entire shrine is decorated from top to bottom during this celebration. It is held that during the time of Navratris, the first rays of sunrise fall directly on the idols of the three deities.
Temple prayers and timings
The temple opens every morning for visitors at 6 a.m. and shuts at 10 p.m. The main arti is done at 7 in the morning and 7:30 in the evening. The daily pooja at Mahalakshmi Temple comprises Mahapooja, Abhishek and Archana. The daily naivedya is done at 12 p.m.
Best time to visit Mahalakshmi Temple – Mumbai
The most appropriate time to be at Mahalakshmi Temple is during the Navratri Festival. This is the time of festivities when the entire temple is decked beautifully. Pilgrims from all the corners of the country flock to the temple during these days of celebrations. Devotees don’t care about the heavy rush they have to face just to have darshan of Goddess and offer their prayers.
- Location → Mumbai, 1km from Mahalakshmi Railway Station
- Dedicated to → Devi Mahalakshmi, Devi Kali and Devi Saraswati
- Main Attraction → Idols of Goddesses, Dhwajstambh.
- Best time to visit → During Navratri Festival
How to reach
- By Air → Mumbai has an international airport named Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport which has flights to and from all the parts of the country and the world. The Mahalakshmi Temple is at a distance of about 14km from the airport. You can easily find taxis and public transport to reach the temple from airport.
- By Rail→ The Mumbai Central Railway Station is only 1km from the temple. It is well connected with all the cities and towns of the country.
- By Road → There are well developed roads available to reach Mumbai as well as to roam around in the city. So getting to Mumbai and moving around the city on roads is not a problem at all. There are a large number of public and private transport options available for people coming to this city.
