This temple is located in the village of Khapri, about 6 kilometers from Balod, on the road from Balod to Dondilohara in Durg district of Chhattisgarh state. It is an east facing temple. There is a statue of Kukur (dog) at the entrance of this temple. There is a Shivling in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The shape of the snake is carved on the outer walls of the temple.
This temple is a memory building. It was built in the 14th to 15th century under the Phaninag Vanshi rule. According to legend, it has been built by a moneylender in memory of his dog.
There is an ancient temple named Kukurdev in the village of Khapri in Durg district of Chhattisgarh. This temple is not dedicated to any deity but to a dog, although there are statues of Shivling along with it. It is believed that there is no fear of cough and dog bite by visiting here. The statue of the dog outside the temple.
Kukur Dev Temple is spread over a radius of 200 meters. The statue of dogs has been installed on both sides of the temple entrance. People worship Shiva as well as a dog (Kukurdev) in the same way as Nandi is worshiped in common Shiva temples.
The temple has pictures of serpents in all four directions of the dome. Inscriptions of the same time are also placed around the temple but are not clear. On these, the settlement of Banjar, the shape of the moon and the sun and the stars are built. Statues of Rama Lakshmana and Shatrughan are also kept. Apart from this, a two feet Ganesha statue made of the same stone is also installed in the temple.
Story of Kukurdev temple establishment
According to Jan Shruti, once there was a settlement of Banjaras. The Banjara named Malighori had a pet dog. Due to the famine, Banjare had to mortgage his beloved dog to the moneylender. Meanwhile, the moneylender’s house was stolen. The dog had seen the thieves hiding the stolen goods from the moneylender’s house in the nearby pond. In the morning the dog took the moneylender to the hiding place and the moneylender also found the stolen goods.
Aware of the dog’s loyalty, he wrote all the details in a paper and tied it around his neck and freed him to go to the real owner. Seeing his dog come back from the moneylender’s house, Banjare killed the dog by beating him with a stick.
After seeing the letter tied around his neck after the dog died, he realized his mistake and Banjare built Kukur Samadhi in the temple courtyard in memory of his beloved Swami devotee dog. Later, someone also installed a dog statue. Even today, this place is famous as the Kukurdev Temple.
Malidhori village starts from across the road in front of the temple which is named after Malidhori Banjara. There are also people who have been bitten by a dog in this temple. Although no one is treated here, it is believed that by coming here, that person gets cured. Seeing the board of ‘Kukurdev Temple’, people also come here curiously.