Gokarna is a small temple town located in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka state in southern India, It has a population of around 20,000. The Mahabaleshwara Temple is dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. Gokarna is one of seven important centres of pilgrimage in Hinduism. Gokarna is one of the most popular beach destinations for tourists in India. It is popular with beach trekkers. Yana Caves hosts the second cleanest village in India.

Etymology

According to legend Brahma, feeling proud because he could create the universe, decided to meditate to apologize for his arrogance. He wanted to lift a curse given by Shiva. During his meditation, Shiva appeared unexpectedly, emerging from the ears of a cow. So the place came to be known as Gokarna or ear of the cow. The ''

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

'' state that when Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu created Kerala, it was from Gokarna to Kanyakumari. According to legend,

Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...

was given ''Atmalinga'' by Shiva and instructed that it would stay permanently where it is first placed on the land.

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

came in the form of a boy and planted it in Gokarna while Ravana was performing rituals. Once placed Ravana could not remove it from the ground; he removed some pieces of the lingam and threw them in different directions.

Geography

Legend

The earliest legend of the city is set in the age of the Treta Yuga, in which

(the rakshasa king of

Lanka Lanka (; ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary Rakshasa king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks kn ...

) reached Kailasha and performed rigorous penance to obtain the atmalinga from Shiva, as Ravana's mother expressed a keen desire to worship the atmalinga of Shiva. Gokarna was part of the

Sodhe Sode is a village near Sirsi in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka in India. Location Sodhe is a village in the Malenadu region, surrounded by thick forests. It is 22 km from Sirsi and 13 km from Hulekal. Prehistoric rock a ...

and Vijayanagara kingdoms.

Location

Gokarna is about 238 km north of

Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...

, 483 km from

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

and about 59 km from Karwar. It is between the Gangavali and Aghanashini rivers along the Karwar coast by the Arabian Sea. It is 200 km north from the college towns of Suratkal and Manipal. Gokarna can be reached by buses and maxicabs from Kumta (30 km), Ankola (26 km), Karwar (59 km) and Bhatkal (88 km) on National Highway 66 (NH-66). Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs long-journey buses from cities like Panaji,

and

. Private buses (Vijayanand Roadlines - VRL, Sugama, Sea Bird, etc.) operate night journeys from the capital city of Bengaluru to Gokarna daily. It can be reached by

Konkan Railway The Konkan Railway (abbreviated KR) is one of the 19 railway zones in India with its headquarters at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The Konkan Railway line from Roha to Thokur is operated and maintained by Konkan Railway co ...

on the

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

route or Goa to

route. The railway station (called Gokarna Road) is 10 km from the town. The station has a retiring room at a nominal price. Many important trains like Matsyagandha Express, KSR Bengaluru Karwar Express, Poorna Express, Marusagar Express and Mangalore Local and DEMU local are the Daily Local Trains halt here. The nearest airports are Hubli Airport, Karnataka which has domestic flights only, Goa International Airport at Goa and Mangalore International Airport at Bajpe,

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

are the nearest airports to reach at Gokarna. Neighbouring villages are Bankikodla-Hanehalli, Sanikatta, Tadadi, Torke, Madangere, Maskeri, Adigone, Nelaguni and Bijjur.

Climate

Beaches

The Gokarna main beach is in town and Kudle beach faces west. Om beach, Half moon Beach, Paradise Beach (also known as Full moon) and Belekan beach are south facing. The Gokarna beach forms the coast of the town and is followed by Main beach in northern direction while the other four beaches lie to the south. Gokarna Main Beach is mainly used by Indian pilgrims. Main Beach is a long open beach, known for

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

. 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 trekking or boat. Om beach is named because it is shaped like the auspicious ॐ Om symbol.

Beach Trekking and Camping

A five-beach trek includes Paradise Beach, Half Moon Beach, Om Beach, Kudle Beach and Gokarna Beach.

Education

Bhadrakali High School in Melinkeli was founded in 1946. A notable alumnus of the school is cancer research scientist, Narayan Sadashiv Hosmane.

References

* Source: Karnataka State Gazetteer 1983

External links

Gokarn Math
*
tour guide Gokarna Temple
{{Hydrology of Karnataka, state=expanded Villages in Uttara Kannada district Beaches of Karnataka Tourist attractions in Uttara Kannada district Geography of Uttara Kannada district