historical places
ATTRACTIONS
Kolhapur has many attractions besides temples, including heritage sites, museums, a water park and lakes.
- Rankala Lake – A beautiful lake having a nice space for picnicking or hanging out, with food vendors selling tasty snacks, gardens, and activities like horse riding and boating.
- Shri Mahalakshmi Temple – Also known as Dakshin Kashi, this temple is believed to have been constructed during the reign of Kannada Chalukya in around 700 A.D. It is dedicated to Goddess Mahalakshmi, the guardian deity of Kolhapur.
- Temblabai Temple – A Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Renuka Devi (who ’s a sister of goddess Mahalakshmi) and is located on Temblabai Hill.
- Bhavani Mandap – Another religious spot, a temple dedicated to goddess Tulja Bhavani, another (younger) sister of Goddess Mahalaxmi; also historically significant, as the Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj is said to have visited and worshipped the goddess here regularly.
- Kopeshwar Temple – A 12th century Hindu temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva.
- Jyotiba Temple – A temple built in 1730 on a hill at a height of 3124 feet above sea level; It is believed that the three major Hindu gods (Trinity) – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, together reincarnated as Jyotiba to kill demons that were terrorizing the local people many years ago, and the temple is dedicated to this incarnation.
