Khidrapur villagers enforce lockdown to protest ASI curbs, over 1000 tourists return without visiting Kopeshwar Temple

Kolhapur: Residents of Khidrapur village in Shirol tehsil on Saturday enforced an indefinite shutdown alleging that their legally owned homes were being labelled as encroachments under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) rules.The protest follows directions from the Bombay high court’s Kolhapur bench. The court, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), had directed the district collector to identify 71 alleged encroachments around the Kopeshwar temple and provide a timeline for action.As part of the agitation, the historic 12th-century Kopeshwar temple, an ASI-protected monument, was closed to tourists. Roads leading to the village were also blocked, forcing around 1,200 devotees to return without visiting the temple.

Typically, the temple attracts 800-1,000 visitors daily, with numbers rising significantly on weekends.The villagers are demanding that the 100-metre prohibited zone and the 300-metre regulated area under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act be relaxed for Khidrapur. “We have been living in the area for generations and possess valid property documents, including property cards, records and agricultural papers.

The identified structures cannot be classified as encroachments. We will intensify the protest if an immediate solution is not found,” a protester said.Dayanand Mane, convener of the Khidrapur Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, said over 2,000 villagers participated in the lockdown. “The police did not allow us to keep the temple closed. We, however, stopped tourist vehicles from entering the village. The temple lies within fortification boundaries, but surrounding areas fall under village limits.

Strict ASI rules are impractical, especially as the village is geographically isolated and there are no rehabilitation options,” he said.The PIL, filed by a Kolhapur-based activist, had sought protection and conservation of the ASI-protected monument. The petitioner also cited a parliamentary committee report stating that 94% of centuries-old heritage sites across the country had been lost due to neglect, raising concerns about the future of the Kopeshwar temple.The court has directed the Khidrapur gram panchayat not to grant any new construction permissions in the area. The case will now be heard every 15 days.Following the court’s directions, the Khidrapur gram panchayat passed a resolution on June 22 during a gram sabha meeting to enforce an indefinite bandh starting June 27, restrict tourist entry, and keep the temple closed. The resolution also called for relaxation of the core prohibited zone and the regulated buffer area norms.