Holidays Travel Guide

places to visit


* Mahabaleshwar Temple (Maha: great, bal: strength) is a famous

Shiva Temple and it houses the atmalinga. Named so after Ravana
referred to the linga's great strength. Till the government handed over
the temple to a public trust, all the public of Gokarna - supposed to
be the office bearers of the temple - were managing the temple.[2
It is situated at the western end of the main street. The main deity
here is two-armed, standing and at least 1500 years old. The idol of
Lord Ganesha also is ancient. In the sanctuary is a stone linga,
encased in brass, placed on a coiled stone serpent. The floor of the
hall in front has an intricate engraving of a giant tortoise.

* Maha Ganapathi Temple built in honour of the boy Ganapathi, who

deceived the demon Ravana.
* Uma Maheshwari Temple
* Bhadrakali Temple
* Varadaraj Temple
* Tamra-Gauri Temple
* Shanmuka Temple
* Venkataramana Temple
* Kotitheertha is a man-made tank that is used for immersion of

idols and ritual bathing. It is surrounded by temples.
* Shivaratri festival is celebrated here with great enthusiasm.
Each year, a team builds up two great temple chariots which are used
during the Shivaratri festival. The two great temple chariots lead a
procession through the town's narrow streets, while priests and
pilgrims chant hymns in praise of Shiva. More than a hundred people are
needed to pull the chariots with thick ropes while priests conduct
religious ceremonies inside. During the four day Shivaratri festival,
the small town of Gokarna is visited by up to 20,000 pilgrims.



Community festivals

* Mahashivaratri



Beaches

The drive up the winding path that leads to Gokarna is scenic, with the
rocky mountains and Western Ghats on one side and the Arabian Sea on
the other.

Gokarna is also famous for its beautiful beaches and landscapes. The
main beaches in Gokarna are the Gokarna beach, Kudle Beach, Om Beach,
Half moon Beach and Paradise Beach (also known as Full moon). The
Gokarna beach forms the coast of the town while the other four beaches
lie to the south of Gokarna. Kudle and Om are around 6 km from Gokarna
town along a muddy hill; they are accessible by rickshaw or foot. Half
moon and Paradise are beyond Om beach and are accessible only by foot
or boat. Om beach is named so because it is shaped like the auspicious
ॐ [Om] symbol. Om beach is the only naturally Om shaped beach. Two
other beaches - Paradise and Half Moon - are smaller and remote
beaches.