The system often led to clashes amongst the devotees
The controversy surrounding the pass system to take darshanat the famous Kolhapur Mahalaxmi Temple has led the temple committee to scrapthe VIP pass system.
With this decision the pass system, which was successfullyrun for a couple of years has now come to an end. Mostly people fromneighboring States like Karnataka, Goa and Andhra Pradesh visit the temple, duringthe Navratri.
“The pass system has been scrapped to control clashes and fightsthat use to take place during the darshan,” district collector of KolhapurRajaram Mane said.
He said that the decision was taken after taking all membersof the temple committee and police into confidence.
The pass system was initially introduced by the templecommittee for the convenience of the devotees. Subsequently the system wasmisused by its members and the police indulged in favouritism while issuingthese passes.
Quite a few times there were clashes among the devotees forthe passes. Shri Mahalakshmi Temple of Kolhapur is one of the Shakti Peethalocated in Maharashtra. The various puranas of ancient India, have listed 108Shakti Peethas where Shakti (the goddess of power) is manifested.
The Mahalakshmi Temple of Kolhapur is one of the six sitesof the Shakti, where one can get both fulfillments of desires as well assalvation from them. Therefore the place attracts huge number of devotes.
The statue of the Goddess Mahalakshmi is made of gemstoneand is considered to be at least 5000 to 6000 years old. It weighs about 40kilos. The precious stones that adorn the deity indicate the antiquity of theidol. These factor draws lot of tourists to this place.
