The Temple of Kunkeshwar is an Ancient Shiva Temple. This temple is considered one of the major pilgrim centres.

Distance from Mumbai is 510 kms.

Districts/Region

Devgad Taluka, Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India.

History

Vimaleshwara Temple at Kunkeshwar is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is close to the Arabian seashore. 
The legend says Yadavas built this Kunkeshwar temple around 900 years ago. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (founder of the Maratha Empire) ordered Nilkanth Pant Amatya Bavdekar to renovate this temple. The present structure of the temple is from the recent past. There are numerous smaller shrines on the premises of the main temple.
This temple has a stone slabbed courtyard that gives the temple its unique appearance.  There was a cow in the jungle of Kunaki that used to shower her milk on a particular stone. The owner of the cow got angry when he found out about the incident and struck a stone with the hammer. He was shocked when the stone started to bleed. Then he realised that the stone is not an ordinary one but a divine phenomenon. He started worshipping that stone, and that's how the temple got its popularity as Kunkeshwar Temple.
In front of the temple, there are six deep-malas (light towers) and an icon of Nandi, the Bull (mount of lord Shiva) seated on the platform. Behind this Nandi exists a temple dedicated to the god Shridev Mandalik. There are images of Gandabherunda and Kamadhenu in the temple. An image of mother goddess Parvati is installed beside the shivalinga, a symbolic representation of Lord Shiva.
The temple is blessed with a beach with a long stretch of seashore and white sand. One can swim in the clear water at the beach and may get a rare view of dolphins diving in the deep sea. One side of the beach is surrounded by coconut and mango grooves.
Not far from the temple, there is a small cave excavated in laterite. It's a small rectangular cave with a bench carved in the rock along the back wall. There is a Nandi, the Bull installed in the cave in front of Shivalinga, in the centre. There are few other folk deities housed in the same cave.

Geography

The temple is on the sea shore with a pleasant breeze.

Weather/Climate

The prominent weather in the region is rainfall, the Konkan belt experiences High Rainfall (ranges around 2500 mm to 4500 mm), and the climate remains Humid and warm. The temperature reaches up to 30 degrees Celsius during this season.
Summers are hot and humid, and the temperature touches 40 degrees Celsius.
Winters in the region have a comparatively milder climate (around 28 degrees Celsius), and the weather remains Cool and Dry. 

Things to do

To the east side of the Kunkeshwar temple, there are rock-cut caves. The caves have sculpted icons of males and females and these icons are carved out of black stone. The headgear of men and the hairstyle of women in these sculpted images are worth seeing. 
The big festival in Kunkeshwar is on the occasion of Mahashivratri which is visited by many people. 

Nearest tourist places

• Devgad beach (6.7 KM)
• Kunkeshwar Beach (0.25 KM)
• Devgad Lighthouse (8.4 KM)
• Vijaydurg Fort (34.5 KM)
• Sindhudurg Fort (45.7 KM)
• Shri Vimleshwar Temple (16.1 KM)
• Devgad Fort (8.1 KM)

Special food speciality and hotel

Devgad Alphonso mango from this area is famous. Being a coastal location, a variety of seafood is available. 

Accommodation facilities nearby & Hotel/ Hospital/Post Office/Police station

The nearest accommodation Bhakta Nivas is maintained by the Kunkeshwar temple. They provide reasonable facilities to the visitors. 
The Police Station near this Temple is Devgad Police Station (6.3 KM).
The Hospital near the Temple is Rural Hospital Devgad (6 KM).

Visiting Rule and Time, Best month to visit

• It's worth visiting this temple at any time of the Year. 
• Kunkeshwar temple is open for the whole day.
• Entry to this temple is free.

Language spoken in area 

English, Hindi, Marathi