Weather :
Label : Top Attraction
Tags : Temple
Timings : 5:30 AM - 10:30 PM
Time Required : 1-2 hrs
Entry Fee : No entry fee
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The beautiful temple of Kolhapur, known as the Jyotiba Temple lies near the village of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. The temple is constantly laden with 'rang which translates to colour, implying the colour used to play Holi. This is because the gulal is offered to Lord Jyotiba as a token of sincerity by the pilgrims. The glorious temple is built for Lord Jyotiba as its name suggests, who was believed to be an embodiment of three different deities. It is believed that this temple should be visited after visiting the Mahalaxmi Temple. Standing 3124 feet above sea level, the view from the temple is beautiful and breathtaking. The serene environment along with the divinity of the structure gives a feeling of peace and calm to all the pilgrims and visitors.
Jyotiba Temple was constructed by Ranoji Shinde in the year 1730. The striking temple is believed to be approximately 55 feet in length, 37 feet in width and 77 feet in height. The interior is elegant and straightforward while the exterior includes a long flight of stairs that pilgrims need to climb to reach the main temple. This climb is of about 100 steps and is lined with some shops. The shops vary from ones selling coconuts and flowers, to ones that sell CDs and pictures of Lord Jyotiba.
The most prominent festival of this magnificent temple is celebrated in the Hindu months of Chaitra and Vaisakha. They occur on the full moon night during this month, thereby being named Chaitra Poornima. This is the annual festival when all the devotees throw and play with gulal. The entire hill of the Jyotiba Temple is then covered with gulal, making it a beautiful sight and a great festival to experience.