Jyotiba Mandir – Kolhapur

Jyotiba Temple is situated very near to the famous Mahalakshmi Mandir at Kolhapur in Maharashtra . Jyotiba is a prominent Hindu deity worshipped primarily in the Maharashtra region of India.  Jyotiba is believed to be a great deity being worshipped by the maratha warrior Shivaji.  Jyotiba is considered by locals as incarnation of three gods i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. He is also revered as the main deity giving courage ,inspiration to become the great warriors of our sacred nation. It’s an ancient temple with much glory of historical values and stunning architecture.

In 1730, Ranoji Shinde built this temple. Jyotiba temple is on the mountain, have to climb 100 steps for darshan of Jyotiba. Legend states that three gods took the form of Jyotiba to destroy the evil demon Ratnasur who was terrorizing the region.Yamai Devi is sister of Jyotiba. On Sunday there is much rush to Jyotiba temple. On Chaitra Poornima i.e. on the occasion of “Ekadashi” a gala fair is held and thousands of devotees from all over India gather on Jyotiba hill. Devotees celebrate their joy of visiting their god by dancing with the huge sticks known as ‘Sasankathi’ and scattering huge amount of ‘Gulal’, making the whole mountain is turn pink.So, This temple is also called as Pink temple. The joy and enthusiasm generated is hard to describe, but at least once in your lifetime you must experience this fair.

How to reach here:

Firstly have to reach Kolhapur city, it is located about 20 kms from the Mahalaxmi temple Kolhapur, it is located on a hill top and one can go there either by bus, auto or a hired car. The temple is not much crowded as compared to the Mahalaxmi temple and you can get the darshan of Devi Jyotiba peacefully. The view from top is also very scenic which makes it a must visit if you are in Kolhapur.

From Mumbai or Pune we can reach Kolhapur by train or by road to Kolhapur Railway station. From there various vehicles are available to go for Jyotiba Mandir.