Mumbai to Bengaluru road trip - Gokarna and Murdeshwar (Episode -2)

Synopsis of episode 1

We started from Mumbai on 8th February. Travelling on SH 92, NH 548A, NH17 and NH 66 we reached Ganapatipule which was our first night halt. Enjoyed the beautiful beach and visited the famous Ganapati temple. Continued on NH 66 passing through Kudal, Panaji. Stopped in Karwar located in the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka to visit one of its tranquil, scenic beaches. Resumed trip to nearby Gokarna.

From Karwar to Gokarna it is around 60 km. We planned to stay two nights in Gokarna as we knew we would be reaching in the evening only. For the first night we booked a room in Zostel Gokarna. Spread over 178 countries this adult only hostel is primarily for back packers with dormitories. However Zostel Gokarna has some private cottages and we booked a cottage there to have an offbeat experience. We reached Zostel Gokarna at around 7:30 pm. I enquired whether they would organize the beach trek next morning in which one can see five beaches of Gokarna. Unfortunately there was not enough participants for the trek. Two beaches are at walking distance from Zostel Gokarna - the Gokarna Main beach and the Kudle beach. Both involves climbing down the hill. But the route to Main beach was dark and hence we went to Kudle beach. We had dinner in one of shacks and came back to retire for the night.

Next morning after coming out from our cottage we could see how beautiful the hostel is. It's situated on a cliff and offers a breathtaking view of the Gokarna Main beach. We went down the stairs to the Main beach and watched the sunrise. The long beach is very beautiful and though popular and crowded at places, one can always find a secluded patch. We played like children in the sea with waves crashing over us. Tired and hungry after more than two hours of frolicking we climbed up to our hostel and headed straight to the inhouse restaurant, Mantra Cafe. We enjoyed our delicious breakfast in the very pleasant ambiance with soothing music and the mind-blowing view of the main beach.

After breakfast we checked out from Zostel Gokarna and went to the Gokarna International Beach Resort of Karnataka Tourism Department. This resort is located right on the Kudle beach. It's a nice hotel with facilities like Swimming Pool, Ayurvedic Spa, Yoga sessions and a sea facing restaurant. We had lunch in the shack almost next door and set out to explore Gokarna.

Gokarna is an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus. It has many ancient temples the Mahabaleshwar temple being the most famous. It is said Ravana pleased Lord Shiva by performing severe penance and requested the Atma-Linga as his boon. Lord Shiva agreed on a condition that it should never be placed on the ground. If the Atma-Linga was ever placed on the ground, it would remain rooted at that spot. Having obtained his boon, Ravana started back on his journey to Lanka. Seeing this the Gods were worried and hatched a plan to prevent Ravana from taking the Atma-Linga to Lanka. As Ravana was nearing Gokarna, Lord Vishnu blotted out the sun to give the appearance of dusk. Ravana needed to perform his evening rituals but was unable to do because of the Atma-Linga in his hands. Lord Ganesha in the disguise of a Brahmin boy approached him as per plan. Ravana requested him to hold the Atma-Linga until he performed his rituals, and asked him not to place it on the ground. Ganesh agreed saying that if he found it too heavy he would call Ravana thrice, and if Ravana did not return within that time, he would place the Atma-Linga on the ground. As Ravana started performing the rituals, Ganesha called out thrice rapidly, placed the Atma-Linga on the ground before Ravana could return and vanished from the scene with his cows. Ravana then chased the only cow, which was going underground. However, he managed to get hold of the cow's ear, as the rest of cow's body had disappeared below ground. It is this ear now seen in a petrified form, which has given the name "Gokarna" to the place. The word "Gokarna" means "cow's ear" where in Sanskrit gow means "cow" and karna means "ear". (However, there is another legend that Lord Shiva emerged from the ear of a cow - Prithvi, the Mother Earth here giving the name Gokarna to the place. Ravana tried hard to lift the Shiv Linga but failed as it was firmly fixed. Ravana had even fainted; thereafter he gave the name "Mahabaleshwar" (meaning all-powerful) to the Atmalinga that is worshipped in the Mahabaleshwar Temple. Mahabaleshwar temple has a traditional dress code.

Nearby there is Mahaganapathi temple. Lord Ganpati's statue in the temple, which is around 1,500 years old, has a hole on the top of its head, which is believed to have been caused by a stone Ravana threw at him in anger. We visited first the Mahaganapathi temple and then Mahabaleshwar temple as is the custom.

Then we went to Rama temple believed to be constructed by Lord Ram when he came to Gokarna to wash off his sin of killing a brahmin (Ravana) by taking dip in Koti Tirth. He developed a Teertha Kunda by restricting a mountain stream which can be seen at the entrance of the temple. However it was dry when we visited. There is another mountain stream near the temple. The water from this mountain spring is coming out of a buffalo mouth carved out of the rock. The water is considered pure having medicinal properties. We saw many foreign tourists collecting water in large vessels from this stream which they use as drinking water. The Rama temple is built on the hill separating Main beach from Kudle beach and has one of the best view of the whole sea. Sunset here is spectacular.

Afterwards we went to bustling market area near Main beach and purchased some spices. Had our dinner in Mahabaleshwar temple which is served free everyday (lunch is also served) before returning to hotel.

Next morning at 9 am we started for Murdeshwar, after having breakfast in the sea facing restaurant of our hotel. Google maps guided us towards a wrong direction sending us away from NH 66. When we sensed something amiss and asked locals for direction, we came to know it happens frequently. At around eleven we reached Murdeshwar. When the Atma linga got stuck at Gokarna, Ravana threw the materials covering the linga to four different places where the items became lingas once these touched ground. The cloth covering fell at Murudeshwar and a temple was built there. Murdeshwar Temple was built on the Kanduka Hill which is surrounded on three sides by the Arabian Sea. There is a 20-storied Raja Gopura and a 123 feet statue of Lord Shiva. The temple authorities have installed a lift that provides a view of the 123-feet Sri Shiva idol from the top of the Raja Gopura.

For lunch we went to a restaurant called Machali Udupi in the township of Udupi after searching the net and reading positive reviews. The restaurant seemed to be popular and was very crowded. Service was fast though. We had neer dosa with squid and prawn. Food was delicious and economically priced.

Then we resumed our journey to Kannur - our next night halt.

Some titbits from Google maps:

11th February, 2023 : Driving distance covered 381 kms in 8 hours and 46 minutes from Gokarna to Kannur. Total journey time including breaks were approximately 11.5 hours (2 breaks - for temple visit in Murdeshwar and lunch break in Udipi).