Mahalakshmi Temple, Mumbai
Mahalaxmi, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- Deities
- Mahalakshmi (Devi), Mahakali (Devi), Mahasaraswati (Devi)
- Traditions
- shakta
- Worship status
- active
- Address
- Bhulabhai Desai Marg, Mahalaxmi West, Cumballa Hill, Mumbai (near Haji Ali)
- Coordinates
- 18.9774, 72.8065
- Darshan hours
- Varies by temple and season; consult the temple's own trust for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- Navratri and Diwali/Lakshmi Puja are the major annual observances; October to March is otherwise cooler for visiting.
- How to reach
- On Bhulabhai Desai Road in South Mumbai's Mahalaxmi/Cumballa Hill area, near the Haji Ali Dargah causeway; reachable by local train (Mahalaxmi station) or road.
- Festivals
- Navratri (September/October), Lakshmi Puja (Diwali) (October/November), Gudi Padwa (March/April)
Location
Open in Google MapsBuilt in 1831 by the Hindu merchant Dhakji Dadaji, this Mahalaxmi-neighborhood temple on Bhulabhai Desai Road, near the Haji Ali causeway in South Mumbai, is distinct from the older, separately documented Mahalakshmi (Ambabai) temple in Kolhapur — the two share a name but not a history. It enshrines the Tridevi as three separate images side by side: Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswati, representing power, wealth, and knowledge respectively. Administered by the Shri Mahalaxmi Temple Trust, it is among Mumbai’s most visited temples, especially around Navratri and Diwali’s Lakshmi Puja, alongside the Maharashtrian new year Gudi Padwa.
A popular account holds that the temple’s idols were recovered from the sea by a British engineer building the causeway connecting Worli to Mahalaxmi, after the goddess appeared to him in a dream; this origin story is part of the temple’s devotional lore but was not independently confirmed in the historical source consulted for this entry, and is therefore not asserted as documented fact here.
Sources
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's Mahalakshmi Temple, Mumbai article: confirms the 1831 founding by Hindu merchant Dhakji Dadaji (1760-1846), the Bhulabhai Desai Marg/Mahalaxmi West address, coordinates, the Tridevi (Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati) shrine configuration, governance by the Shri Mahalaxmi Temple Trust, and Lakshmi Puja/Navratri/Diwali/Gudi Padwa as observed festivals. The article did not independently confirm the popular idol-discovery legend or precise darshan hours, so those are not asserted here.