Prasanna Shree Vireshwar Temple Khopoli, Khalapur, Raigad

The famous Peshwa-era Vireshwar Temple is situated right where the ghat begins near Khopoli on the old Mumbai-Pune highway. This ancient temple is built in the Hemadpanthi architectural style. Historical records indicate that this temple was constructed in the eighteenth century by the capable statesman of the Maratha Empire, Nana Phadnavis. The gazetteer mentions that the British officer Bishop Heber, in the year 1825, described Khopoli as a ‘beautiful village with a lake and a temple of Shiva’, referring to this very temple. This famous temple of Vireshwar Mahadev is located to the right of the renowned Gagangiri Maharaj Math on the banks of the Patalganga River.

Nana Phadnavis was a strategist and a justice-loving administrator of the Maratha Empire. During his tenure in the eighteenth century, he built this Vireshwar Temple in Khopoli. A record of this is inscribed on the temple wall. At the same time, he constructed a large lake next to this temple. Its circumference is approximately one kilometer. Stone walls have been built around the lake, and there are steps leading down to the water all the way around. This lake became known as the Nana Phadnavis Lake. Currently, it is referred to as the Shankar Mandir Lake. The Peshwas used to travel from Pune to visit Ballaleshwar in Pali and Varadvinayak in Mahad. He built this temple so that they could get some rest before climbing the ghat and also perform their devotions.

The temple is located one kilometer away from the bus station in Khopoli village. Built on the banks of a large lake, the construction of this temple is in black stone. There are high boundary walls around the premises. One enters the temple courtyard through an arched gateway in these walls. An image of the Sun is carved on the lintel of this entrance. Additionally, there is intricate lattice work on the gateway. Near the entrance, on the outside, there is a very large stone millstone. In the courtyard, to the right of the temple, there is a Tulsi Vrindavan built of stone. There are stone benches provided in various places in this courtyard for devotees to sit.
Although the temple is not very large, its construction is extremely elegant. The temple, situated on a four-foot-high plinth, consists of a Nandi Mandapa, a Sabha Mandapa, and a Garbhagriha. On the four-foot-high plinth, leaving space for the circumambulation path, there is a Nandi Mandapa with four stone pillars inside. In the center of these pillars is a unique, monolithic black stone sculpture of Nandi. Both front legs of this Nandi are folded. The left hind leg is tucked under the belly, and the right leg is bent at the knee. Nandi is adorned with various ornaments. A three-layered strap is tied from the neck behind the shoulders, on which small bells appear to be strung. The three main bells on this strap are large. There is also intricate carving on Nandi’s forehead. The four pillars of the Nandi Mandapa are connected to each other by arched shapes. The ceiling above has floral-style carvings. On the roof, there are smaller spires surrounding the main spire on all four sides.

One enters the Sabha Mandapa through the temple entrance, which is reached by climbing five steps to the high plinth. Below the arched entrance, there are two Kirtimukhas. The Sabha Mandapa here is enclosed. Apart from the main entrance on the east, this Sabha Mandapa also has two more doors on the north and south sides. In the center of the Sabha Mandapa, there is a tortoise sculpture made of black stone. Flowers are carved in stone on all four sides of this sculpture. The circular ceiling of the Sabha Mandapa features complex carvings. In the niches on the front wall of the Garbhagriha, there is an idol of Ganesha on the right and Hanuman on the left. Both these idols are made of black stone and are elegant. The entrance to the Garbhagriha is decorated with carvings. There are leaf and flower patterns on the door frames. The upper part features lattice work. Like the entrance to the Sabha Mandapa, this entrance also has two Kirtimukhas at the bottom.

The Garbhagriha here is deeper compared to the Sabha Mandapa. One enters the Garbhagriha by descending a few steps. In the center of the Garbhagriha, on a high plinth on the floor, is the monolithic black stone Linga of Vireshwar Mahadev. Beside this Linga are a Trishul and a Damaru. During festivals, this Linga is decorated with silver ornaments and a mask. The niche in the back wall of the Garbhagriha houses Goddess Parvati. It is said that the Shiva Linga here was installed by priests from Kashi. At that time, the Peshwas entrusted the worship and maintenance of this temple to the local Gurav family.

The temple’s spire is octagonal and tapers in stages. There are niches in each level of this spire. At the top, there is an Amalaka and a Kalash above it. From the temple courtyard, there are stone steps leading down to the adjacent water tank. Many devotees come here for a holy bath in this tank. Mahashivratri is the main festival here. During this time, the temple and its surroundings are attractively decorated. On Mahashivratri, continuous Shiva bhajans, Abhisheka, and Rudrapath are performed in the temple. At this time, the temple premises take on the form of a fair. The Palkhi procession that takes place on the evening of Mahashivratri is a special attraction for the people of Khopoli. Thousands of devotees participate in it. Apart from this, many devotees come for darshan on the occasion of Hartalika, Nag Panchami, and the special worship held every Monday during the month of Shravan.

Sacred History & Spiritual Significance

This sacred temple stands as a testament to deep spiritual devotion, ancient architectural grandeur, and rich local cultural traditions.

Temple Sanctum & Architecture

The sanctum sanctorum houses the divine idol consecrated according to ancient Vedic traditions, surrounded by serene courtyards and traditional temple architecture.

Sacred Darshan Gallery