mahabaleshwar temple

Gokarna: Is a village in the Uttara Kannada district of the Karnataka state, India. It is a Hindu pilgrimage centre as well as a tourist destination in India. Gokarna is a temple town and is referred to in a number of Hindu historical literature pieces. The main deity is Lord Mahabhaleshwara, a form of Hindu god Shiva. Around the town lie a number of beaches and these serve as a major attraction for travelers.

          Gokarna is situated on the West Coast and is at a distance of 438 km north-west of Bangalore. Gokarna which is considered the Southern Kashi (Varanasi) is a notable Shiva pilgrimage centre of India. The name literally means “Cow’s Ear”, as the Arabian Sea on one side and the rivers Aghanasini and Gangavati on the other make an angle resembling a cow’s ear. The two great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata have several references to this holy place. The temple of Mahabhaleshwara is built of granite in the Dravidian style with a shrine and an outer wall. It is a complete structure with many additions made in the post-Vijayanagara times. The linga in the shrine is visible only by two inches above the ground. It is said to be the atma linga and the tradition says that it was brought here by Ravana and he was forced to leave it here. In the outer hall are images of Parvati and Gangavati with a granite bull in the middle of the hall. In honor of Mahabhaleshwara a fair is held every year during the Mahashivaratri. Besides the temple of Mahabhaleshwara there are 20 smaller shrines and 30 Lingas. Near the Mahabhaleshwara temple there is a temple of Ganapati whose idol is standing and two handed and is of the Kadamba times.

              Among other important temples of Gokarna are the Bhadrakali, Venkataramana, Tamragauri and the Sasashtkar monastery (Lingayat Matha). There is a choultry built by Ahalyabai Holker of Indore and a small marble statue of her is also found in the choultry. Before entering Gokarna one has to circumscribe a place Sanekatta, which is popular for salt manufacturing from the earliest period. Gokarna has a fine beach; Kotiteertha and Jatayuteertha are some holy spots marked on the beach. ‘Ashtabandha’ is a colorful fare held in honor of the Atma Linga normally once in 12 years and it was celebrated in 1983, after a lapse of over 50 years. At that time, the whole Linga is excavated and made visible.