Temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva. As the story goes, Sati, beloved wife of Lord Shiva, was insulted by her father Prajapati Daksha when she attend a yagna. Humiliated, she immolated herself by jumping into the sacrificial fire. A furious Shiva, sought to destroy Prajapati Daksha and had to be calmed down by Lord Vishnu. The temple is named ‘Kopeshwar’ which translates to the furious god.

Major deities can be found in the temple in 'ling' form - Shiva and Vishnu. While Shiva is referred to as 'Kopeshwar Mahadev', Vishnu is referred to as 'Dhopeshwar'. In the story, since Nandi had accompanied Sati, i.e. gone away with Sati, one does not find its idol in the temple as it exists in every Shiva temple. Apart from these idols, the temple is studded with stunning carvings of gods and goddesses.

Major sections that the Temple is divided into: Swargamandapam, Sabhamandapam, Antaral Kaksha and Garbha Griha.

Elephant carvings adorn the exterior of the temple.

Stone carved pillars form the surroundings of the interior.

Round ascending pillars are the hallmark of the Swargamandapam. Separated from the main temple, it has a large, black, flat stone 14 feet in diameter installed at its centre and a circular open ceiling of exactly above the stone, meant to let out smoke during a Yagna. Beautiful engravings of kings, queens and their vehicles can also be found.

Most parts of the temple were built by the Shilahara king Gandaraditya, Vijayaditya and Bhoj-II during this period. The inscriptions dating back to the 12th century is proof of this. While some part of the temple may have been constructed as early as 7th century, additions were made well after 12th century, according to PhD student Rohini Hake (Patil).

Distance from Kolhapur. According to local temple researcher Umakant Raninga, “The government needs to take proper steps to preserve the temple heritage. Patchwork was done on the sculptures and walls of the temple a few decades ago and needs to be removed properly. Apart from the temple sightseeing, there are no other facilities provided for the tourists. Guest rooms, tour guides, hotels and other information are not available at the venue and so there is not much of a response to this historical site.”