Mahalakshmi Temple

The city's principal shrine to Lakshmi, built in 1831 on a rock at the sea's edge. The story attached to it belongs to the Hornby Vellard, the causeway that joined the islands: the sea wall kept collapsing until an image of the goddess was recovered from the water and given a home here. In the sanctum stand Mahalakshmi, Mahakali and Mahasaraswati, dressed in gold. Mornings are the calm hours, while the Navratri and Diwali queues are a serious commitment. Shoes come off, and the Arabian Sea opens up just past the compound.

The goddess of fortune keeping watch over the sea wall that made the city possible