About:
Dr. Bharatkumar Bhate is M.S. General Surgeon (Gold Medalist) by qualification with an experience of 30,000+ operations and is based at Rajkot, Gujarat. He is an avid reader and a passionate writer. In this blog, he shares his travel experiences and creative writings.
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Blog:
In the afternoon, after a heavy lunch, we started our journey
from Gokarna to Murudeshwar. It is a 78 kilometer drive from Gokarna, and takes
less than two hours by car. The road is excellent.
We got a comfortable sea facing AC room at very reasonable
price as it was off season. After freshening up, we moved towards the temple
and the city.
The legend of Ravana and Atma-linga started at
Gokarna is continued here. After realizing that he had been tricked, Ravana
furiously rushed after Ganesh and his accompanying cow. Both Ganesh and cow
went underground but still Ravana could catch the cow by her ears. This is how
the place is named Gokarna. More angrily, Ravana decided to uproot and destroy
the Atma-linga. Due to the force exerted by mighty Ravana, Shivling was broken
and some pieces were scattered. Shiva temples are built at many places
wherever scattered pieces had fallen around. One such piece from the head
of the Atma-linga is said to have fallen in present-day Surathkal. The famous
Sadashiva temple is said to be built around that piece of Atma-linga. Finally,
Ravana threw the cloth covering the Atma-Linga which fell to a place called
Mrideshwar in Kanduka-Giri. Mrideshwar has been renamed to Murdeshwar and a
large Shiva temple is built here.
The temple complex is on Kanduka hill. It is a
private enterprise run by Dr. R. N. Shetty. So you will find RNS guest house
and RNS residency around the temple on seashore.
The best time to visit Murudeshwar is from
October to February. During Maha Shivratri and Karthik Purnima, a large number
of tourists flock here.
What draws your eyes as you approach the temple
complex is the huge 123 feet tall Shiva statue meditating. It is the world’s
second tallest statue of Lord Shiva. The statue has been strategically placed
on Kanduka hill in such a way that it sparkles when the morning light falls on
it.
The 22-storeyed Gopuram in Murudeshwar is the second tallest Gopuram in the world (the first being in Tamil Nadu, India). It is the only Gopuram in the world that has an elevator. It was inaugurated in May 2008. The Gopuram is 249 feet tall. We can go upto the 18th floor using the lift where there are 3-4 windows for enjoying the view of surrounding places. It gives you a sweeping view of the entire beach and Shiva. It is breathtaking to view the towering deity from the top of the Raja-gopuram of the temple with panoramic views of the coast in backdrop.
Besides the temple, there are numerous sculptures on the Kanduka hill like the Geetopadesha, Sun Chariot and the sculpture of Lord Ganesh receiving the Atmalinga from Ravana in the form of a young boy.
On the way back you can see the Krishna-Arjun
Bhagwat Gita Statue and the Sun Chariot.
Murudeshwar Temple is located between the Shiva
statue and the Gopuram. The granite temple is built in age-old Dravidian style
architecture and is also known as the Kethappa Narayan Temple. Sri Mridesa
Linga, the main temple God, is believed to be a part of the original Atma
Lingam. A piece of Atma-linga is believed to be thrown here by Ravana. It is
said to be buried 2 feet below the ground level.
After Darshan, we proceeded towards the huge
statue of Mahadev popularly called 'Bada Shiva'. A cave or rather a museum is
located beneath the Shiva statue and it is named ‘Bhukailash’. Wonderfully
sculpted statues depict the story of Atma-Linga and the importance of
Murudeshwar. Light and sound effects are used to narrate the story in Kannada,
Hindi, and English language.
if interested in Scuba diving, do spare a complete day for Netrani Island trip.
If you have enough time, you can visit the famous Idagunji Ganapati temple which is about 14 kilometers away. It is visited by more than a million devotees every year. With a mention in the Skanda Purana, the temple holds great mythological significance. Simple and elegant, the shrine houses a unique standing posture of Ganpati in dvibhuja (two hands) style holding a modak and a lotus.
After watching the beautiful sunset at the beach, we returned to our hotel and relaxed. At the end of the day, we realized that even if you are non-religious, Murudeshwar is a fantastic place to visit.
Watch video of the beautiful view at - https://www.facebook.com/DrBhateRajkot/videos/1668226250323375/
Our next destination tomorrow was Jog Fall.