Kolhapur: The much delayed work of illuminating Mahalaxmi temple has been completed. Visitors thronging in lakhs will experience the lighting during the nine-day Navaratra festival.The festival is going to start from September 21. The process of installing the lights in the temple commenced in November last year.The district planning and development council (DPDC) along with Paschim Maharashtra Devesthan Samiti (PMDS) has raised funds of around Rs 2 crore for the project.According to PMDS authorities, the delay in the issuance of various approvals led to the work starting late.A PMDS official, requesting anonymity, said, "The installation work is complete and the lights will be tested in the next few days."He added, "The decision to illuminate the structure was taken to increase the number of visitors. We are planning to continue the lights during major festivals. The maintenance of the lights will be carried out by a firm appointed by the PMDS.""The illumination installation has been carried out with the help of experts from electrical and architectural fields. All aspects of aesthetic design has been considered during the installation process," said the official.The concept of illuminating iconic architectures is relatively new. It was first implemented at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) in Mumbai.The Mahalaxmi temple was constructed in the 11 century. The current structure is more than 400 years old. The temple is popularly known as 'Ambabai'. Recently the state government decided to notify the temple structure as a protected site.

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