Around 60 km away from Kolhapur, on the banks of the river Krishna, lies one of the top pilgrimage places of Maharashtra. The Kidhrapur Kopeshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The construction of the temple started in the 7th Century AD. Due to constant confrontations between the rulers of the region, the renovations of the temple were completed in the 12th Century AD by the Yadava and Shilahara Kings. It is a single temple alongside a small Jain temple in the vicinity. The temple is also known as the Khajuraho of Maharashtra. The name Kopeshwar directly translates to “Wrathful God.”
Maharashtra
Kolhapur
Pune
The temple's legend revolves around the events of the self-immolation act displayed by Goddess Sati. Daksha was displeased by his daughter Sati’s decision to marry Lord Shiva due to his ascetic nature. To express his disappointment, Daksha hosted a yagna and did not invite the couple. Upon hearing this, Goddess Sati rode Nandi, the bull mount of Lord Shiva, to the yagna premises. Daksha severely insulted her on her arrival. Unable to bear more insults, the Goddess Sati threw herself into the yagna and immolated herself. When Lord Shiva caught wind of this incident, he went into a fit of blinding rage. He severed Daksha’s head as a punishment. To prevent further destruction, Lord Vishnu intervened and pacified Lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu restored Daksha’s head with a goat head. The infuriated Lord Shiva was brought to the Kopeshwar Temple to help soothe him. This explains the presence of Lord Vishnu depicted in the form of a phallus in the temple. Sati rode Nandi to Daksha’s yagna which explains the absence of Nandi in the temple.
The entrance of the temple is quite simple and misleading to all splendor inside. The temple is divided into four structures: Swargamandapa (Hall of Heaven), Sabhamandapa (Conference Hall), Antaral Kaksha(intermediate Hall), and Garbha Gruha (Sanctum). Upon entering the temple, you find yourself in the Swargamandapa. Round in shape, the mandap is supported by 48 intricately carved circles placed in 3 concentric circles. A part of the ceiling is kept open to serve as an entrance to the heavens. This room is used to hold yagnas so that the smoke can escape without disturbing the pilgrims. A system is in place to drain the rainwater too. A round black stone slab called Rangshila has been placed on the floor directly under the opening. Moving forward from the Swarga mandap, we move on to the Sabha mandap. The sabha mandap served the primary function of being a meeting hall. It has three entrances. One on the north, one on the south, and the main entrance is the one in the east. A smaller rangshila has been placed here. The Antaral kaksha is the intermediate space between the two. From here you enter the Garbha Gruha where you’ll find both the Shiva linga and the Vishnu linga. Arrangements are available for devotees to do abhisheka (offering milk/ water to the phallus).
