Navaratra Mahalaxmi Fair

Mahalaxmi Temple is one of the most famous temples of Mumbai situated on Bhulabhai Desai Road in Mahalaxmi area. It is dedicated to Mahalakshmi the central deity of Devi Mahatmyam. The temple was built in 1831 by Dhakji Dadaji, a Hindu merchant. The Mahalaxmi temple contains images of the Tridevi goddesses Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswati. All three images are adorned with nose rings, gold bangles and pearl necklaces. The image of Mahalakshmi is in the center shown holding lotus flowers in tandem. The compound of this temple contains several stalls that sell flower garlands and other paraphernalia used by devotees for worship and as offering.

The festival of Mahalaxmi is wonderful in Navaratri, where Mahalaxmi’s residence is situated in Mumbai, in the presence of ‘Laxmiputra’ and ‘Lakshmikanis’ of Garbhashrimant in the entire area. In ‘Prabhukunj’ on Peddar Road, Goddess Saraswati lives with Pandit Hridaynath, a lovely girl of Goddess Saraswati and Goddess Lakshmi. In the ‘Shiv Tirtha’ building adjacent to the temple, ‘Jayshree Gadkar’, one of the leading heroine of Marathi, resides. The richest person in the country, Mr. Mukesh Ambani also lives here from the point of view. The neighboring ‘Breach Candy’, ‘Car Michael Road’, ‘Peddar Road’, which is located at some distance from Temple, is the place where big businessmen promoting the country’s economy. Mahalaxmi is very helpful in all this area and it is easy to visit, but Mahalaxmi’s philosophy can be done very easily.

This mother, Mahalaxmi, resides in the present place with her two sisters, Mahakali and Mahasaraswati, usually from 1784-85. British governor John Hornby of Mumbai built the two Mumbai and Worli bunds to build and repair the coast. The Holybie was not entirely acceptable to the trader East India Company. However, it does not lose the courage. The southern tip of the Mumbai islands, that is, now is the temple of Mahalaxmi and the Worli village in front of it, ie the water of the sea is spreading till the present time is the ‘Love-Grove Udcanchan Center’ or ‘Atria Mall’ of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. At the time of recruitment, the water of the sea reached the crossing of the Byculla. So, if you want to go to Worli from Mumbai, then there is no option without a boat. The British called ‘The Great Breach’ for the water that enters the sea. Breach is a window that means a loop. Hornby decided to close this traffic and he would fill this creek and start working as a carriageway without going to England’s office for permission to build a car that could reach the island of Worli. It was said that the work of building ‘Worli Bandh’ was done. The contract for the construction of this dam was entrusted to the young engineer of Ramji Shivaji, Lord Prabhu Prabhu. The construction work was started. Filling the amount of stone statue, the stars came here. The work of collecting the amount of stone stone in the bay started. If there was some progress in the construction, the dam constructed by the sea water would collapse and start again. It lasted for many months.

History
The origin of this temple is linked with the construction of Hornby Vellard. Actually, the engineers were not in a position to connect the Mahalakshmi area with Worli by making Breach Candy, due to the reason of vicious tides. The condition was that the engineers dropped the plan. One day, Mahalakshmi appeared in the dream of Chief Engineer and asked him to make her shrine at the current place. Accordingly, the temple was constructed around 1785, which ultimately lead to the construction of the Breach Candy.

Maharashtra is a land of rich cultural heritage and traditions. The diverse form of landscape and environment make the state's culture more colourful. Maharashtrians celebrate every fair with great fervour and enthusiasm. The sacred Kumb Mela at Nashik that comes after every twelve years is regarded to be the most important religious fair in Maharashtra. As Maharashtrians have great belief of Lord Ganesh, Ganesh Utsav at Sangli and Pune are the fairs that Maharashtrians celebrate with great fun fare, which are attended by the maximum number of visitors even from foreign countries. The Maharashtra government in collaboration with the Union government is promoting the Pune fair as a major tourists attraction. Other important temple fairs include Changdeo fair at the Markandeya Temple near Edlabad, Kiran Utsav at the Mahalaxmi Temple at Kolhapur, Rathyatra at the Kalaram Temple in Nashik, and the Shrirama Rathotsava fair and the Navaratra Mahalaxmi fair at the Navaratra Mahalaxmi temple in Jalgaon. The Khuldabad Urs is a festival for Muslims; celebrated for five days. Mount Mary Festival, which is held every year at Bandra, Mumbai attracts huge crowds of the city. The Snake festival at Battis Shirala town too attracts large number of tourists from India and aboard.

Fair and Festivals By States