Shri Kopeshwar Temple is located in the Khidrapur village of Shirol taluka in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra state, India. This temple symbolizes the greatness of Indian architecture. The Swarga Mandap here is the greatest invention of architecture. You will not find such a temple anywhere in the world. Many mysterious things are associated with this temple. This temple has more than 1500 years of History.  

        Khidrapur village is on the banks of the Krishna River at the exact border between Karnataka and Maharashtra states. The Krishna River flows in a semi-circular shape near Khidrapur. Shri Kopeshwar Temple of Khidrapur is 60 KM away from Kolhapur City, and only 36 KM away from Sangli City and 101 KM away from Belagavi City. Millions of people from all over the country, including Karnataka and Maharashtra, visit Shri Kopeshwar Temple every year.

           Shri Kopeshwar Temple of Khidrapur has historical as well as religious importance. This temple is divided into a total of 6 parts. Such as 1) Main entrance of the temple, 2) Nagara chamber, 3) Swarga Mandap, 4) Sabha Mandap, 5) Antaral chamber, 6) Garbha Griha. This temple also has great cultural importance. This temple comes under the Archeological Survey of India. For complete information about this temple, watch the Documentary on the Roaring India YouTube Channel. 

             Kopeshwar Temple of Khidrapur is known as the Khajuraho of Maharashtra. Swarg Mandap is the main attraction of this temple. You will not find such a Swarg Mandap anywhere in the world. This is the only masterpiece. This beautiful Swarg Mandap stands on a total of 48 pillars. And inside, there are 12 pillars in a circular shape, which are built by an interlocking system. The entire temple has been built by an interlocking system. There is no ceiling above the Swarg Mandap. Its upper top is completely open towards the sky. That is why it looks like the moon. We call this open window Gavaksha / Chandrashala. Its diameter is 13 feet. Below this, we can see one Rangshila of almost the same size. On the night of Kartik Purnima, the moon appears in the center of this Swarga Mandap. Thousands of people come to Shri Kopeshwar Temple to see it on that day. On the day of Yugadi, the rays of the sun fall directly on the Kopeshwar Shivaling of the Garbhgriha. 

         There is also a Rangshila in the Sabha Mandap of Shri Kopeshwar Temple. There are a total of 60 pillars in the Sabha Mandap. You can see beautiful craftsmanship and carved idols on these pillars. You also get to see depictions of the stories of Panchtantra on the pillars of the Sabha Mandap. You can also see beautiful windows on the walls of the Shri Kopeshwar temple. They were called Jalavatayan. 

          At the entrance of the Garbhagriha of Shri Kopeshwar temple, you will find beautiful Yalis (Vyal), which are imaginary cross-hybrid animals. There are two Shivlingas inside the Garbhagriha – the first is Shri Kopeshwar Shivling & the second is Shri Dhopeshwar Shivling.  Kopeshwar Shivling is dedicated to Lord Shiva & Dhopeshwar Shivling is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Kopeshwar means Angry Shiva. There is also a mythological story associated with this temple.

         Sati, i.e., Dakshayani, marries Lord Shiva against the wishes of her father, Daksha Prajapati. Therefore, Daksha Prajapati does not invite Sati and Shivji to the Mahayagya that he is conducting. Still, Sati goes to that Yagya. There, she and Shivji are insulted. Therefore, Sati jumps into the Yagya Kund and sacrifices her life. Angered by this, Shivji performs Rudra Tandava. Vishnuji comes to pacify him. It is said that this temple was built in inspiration by this mythological story. This is the only temple in India where Shivji and Vishnuji are seated together in the same Garbhagriha.   

        Another specialty of Shri Kopeshwar Temple is that there is no Nandi in the Sabha Mandap of this temple. The Mukh Mandap has also not been constructed. Because this is an incomplete temple. Shri Kopeshwar Temple was built in the 7th century by the famous emperor of Badami Chalukyas, 2nd Pulakeshi. The empire of the Chalukyas was spread from the eastern sea to the western sea, from the Kaveri river in the south to the Narmada river in the north. Therefore, the 2nd Pulakeshi was called Dakshinadhipati. But Pulakeshi died in the war between Narasimhavarma of the Pallavas and Pulakeshi of the Chalukyas. Therefore, the construction of the Kopeshwar temple remained incomplete. The work of building the Mukha Mandap in front of the north gate and the south gate of this temple remains incomplete even today.

            After the Badami Chalukyas, this temple has been renovated from time to time by Rashtrakuta, Kalyani Chalukya, Shilahara, and Yadava kings. There is an inscription next to the south gate. This is an inscription of the 12th century (1214). It is in the Devanagari script and the Sanskrit language. It mentions the donation given by the Yadava king Singandev for the renovation of this temple. After defeating the Shilaharas, the Yadavas took control of this temple. But they did not have enough funds. Therefore, they renovated this temple with whatever material they had.  

           You can see beautiful sculptures on the outer walls of Shri Kopeshwar Temple. But most of the idols in it are broken. The first name of Khidrapur was Koppad or Koppam. Later, this village came under the rule of a chieftain named Khidarkhan, and hence its name became Khidrapur. There have been continuous attacks on this temple by enemies. Therefore, most of the idols here are broken. Here you can see broken dancers, broken elephants, broken doorkeepers. Everyone’s heart starts crying after seeing them.

     There are two lines of carvings on the outer walls of Shri Kopeshwar Temple. One is Gajpankti (Elephant Row) and the other is Narpankti (Human Row). The lower part of the temple is Gajpankti, in which there are a total of 92 elephants, and deities are seated above them. The upper part of the temple is Narpankti, in which there are carvings of beautiful women and men. You can see the dance steps of dancers, the moods of girls, nude depictions of young women, meditating sadhus, and Shravakas here. You will see some beautiful dancers like Mrudula, Alasa, Patra-Lekhika, Putra-Vallabha, and Sarpanika. 

           You can see many gods and goddesses in the Gajapankti and Narpankti of the Shri Kopeshwar temple. Like Nandirud Umamaheshwar, Saraswati Devi, Kal Bhairav, Kamdev & Rati, Mahishasurmardini,  Lord Ganesha, Ardha Narishwar, Harihar, Lord Krishna, Etc. You can also see the depiction of some episodes of Ramayana and Mahabharata on the outer walls of the Shri Kopeshwar temple. Here you can also see Arab, Egyptian, and Mongolian travelers.