Temples & Legends Of Maharastra
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Temples & Legends Of India

KOLHAPUR - MAHALAKSHMI

This is the main story, but not all the tale. There were secondary asurs who fought the gods and secondary gods who slew them. Kolhasur had imprisoned the princesses of the devas, nagas, manavas, whom the goddess freed after the death of the asur. These girls, sixty-four in number be came Yoginis. Of the other assistants of the goddess Ujja valamba slew Raktalola guarding the eastern gate; Katyayani killed Raktbija on the southern gate; on the western gate Raktaksh was slain by Siddha-Batukesh while Raktabhojan on the northern gate was killed by Kedar.

From time to time the demons continued to pester the kshetra but lieutenants of the goddess like Katyayani and Tryambuli managed to quell the troubles. The kshetra was famous throughout all the seven ages—Kalpas. In the first it was known as Kamagiri and was the abode of Madan, the god of love. In the second it was known as Padmalaya after its ruler Padmaraja. During the third Kalpa, Shiva and Parvati stayed here and it became famous as Shivalaya. The fourth Kalpa saw Brahma ruling the kshetra and it was called Brahmalaya on that count. Kuber ruled the kshetra in the fifth Kalpa and was known as Yakshalaya. Next it became Rakshasalaya after the ruler Sukeshi. The last Kalpa saw Kolhasur in the saddle and then it was known as Rakshasapuri. This account of the mahatmya of Karvir through the ages was related to Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandav.

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About Kolhapur
Introduction
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