inside the temple complex In the month of
Shravan, pilgrims flock to the temple for the annual pilgrimage known as Temblai yatra (
jatra) where people from far off areas of Kolhapur and Belgaum district arrive to worship the Goddess. Every year during
Navratri, on the fifth day of Lalitapanchami, a palkhi procession is taken from the
Mahalaxmi temple to Temblai mandir at Temblai hill. As of 2013, over 1 million devotees visited the temple during Navratri festival. Local dialects use a common salutation to the Goddess
Tembali chya navane chang bhala, this has extensively been used in
sholkas and
bhajans that devotees sing and play during the annual pilgrimage and other times at their homes. During the festival special arrangements are made by the administration to manage traffic and diversions for the convenience of the devotees. The royal family of Shahu II had special regard for the Temblai fair as people had a special importance for his presence during the event. Another legend from the
Karvir Puran states that Temblai, the younger sister of Mahalaxmi, left the city of Kolhapur 1800 years ago and came over to the hillock three miles from the city and remained there with her back to her elder sister at
Mahalaxmi temple. Every year in the month of
Ashvin, on the fifth day of the bright moon, the elder sister Mahalaxmi visits her younger sister at Temblai. The festival is now celebrated as traditional event where a procession is carried out with Mahalaxmi placed in a palkhi and followed by a young unmarried girl cutting a pumpkin to commemorate the killing of the demon
Kolhasur by Mahalaxmi
Ambabai. Temblai hill hosts a fair in the temple complex that has 15000–20000 pilgrims. There are offerings and distribution of sweets to the Goddess. The fair has food and toy stalls along with fun rides attractions for children. In October 2021, the Kolhapur Municipal corporation announced the launch of a special bus service during
Navratri for pilgrims to visit the Temblai, Mahalakshmi,
Jyotiba,
Balumama and Nrusinhwadi temples in the region. However the authorities did not allow devotees for the traditional
kohala ceremony for second year in a row amid concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic. The royal family of the
Maratha empire had also been actively participating in the temple celebrations. On one instance, the queens of the royal family of Kolhapur had invited
Shahu II to perform a ceremony at the Temblai festival after his marriage. In 2009, the Temblai temple at Panchganga ghat was also the venue for the Kolhapur municipal corporation event of
Rankala mahotsav. In 2015, a five member heritage committee of the
Kolhapur Municipal Corporation declared Temblai as a heritage structure under the immediate protection category. == Temblai locality and the army ==