5 Must Visit Temples in Gokarna

With its pristine beaches and breathtaking landscape, Gokarna is a Hindu pilgrimage town in Karnataka and a must-visit destination for beach lovers. However, its reputation has risen because of the temples here. Folklore suggests that Gokarna is the city of Lord Shiva and Vishnu. To prevent Ravana from taking the Atmanalingam and making Lanka powerful, he was thrown into Gokarna. Let us tell you about the temples present in Gokarna –

# Mahabaleshwar Temple

The Mahabaleshwar temple has a 6 feet tall Shiva Linga, which is known as Atmalinga. White granite has been used in this temple, in which you can see excellent examples of Dravidian architecture. In this 1500 years old idol of Lord Shiva is also installed. The temple is mentioned in the Hindu mythology of Mahabharata and Ramayana and is said to be as important as Kashi, hence it has got the title of Dakshina Kashi. It is the custom of the temple that before coming to the temple, you should take a dip in the Karwar beach, then visit the Mahabaleshwar temple only after visiting the Maha Ganapati temple located in front of the temple. Here you can go without wearing jeans, trousers or shots. The temple’s opening hours are between 6 am to 12 noon, then the same is between 5 pm and 8 pm.

# Maha Ganapati Temple

Dedicated to Lord Ganesha, this temple is located near the Mahabaleshwar temple and is quite popular among the pilgrims visiting Gokarna. According to the legend of Lord Shiva’s blessings, pilgrims should seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha before visiting the Mahabaleshwar temple. The time to visit this temple is from 6 am to 12:30 pm, then the same is between 3 pm to 9 pm.

# Bhadrakali Temple

It is believed that the holy trinity of gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva created a female warrior named Durg to defeat Vetrasur, the almighty demon who conquered the three worlds. She was re-christened as Bhadrakali with the blessings and powers gifted by various deities to protect the city of Gokarna. This temple is located at a short distance from the Shri Shankar Narayan Temple, where pilgrims come here daily to have darshan. This temple can be visited between 5 am to 12 noon and 4 pm to 8 pm.

# Mahalasa Temple

This temple was built 150 years ago with the idol of Shri Siddhivinayak. This temple is also known as Shri Mahalasa Siddhivinayak Temple and is situated 10 kms away from the main bus station. This is a beautiful temple which is your must visit place in Gokarna. Many festivals are celebrated here, for which thousands of people gather to see. The best time to visit here is during the festivals of Ganesh Chaturthi and Shravan Sankashti. Darshan is done here between 6 in the morning and 9 in the night.

# Shree Someshwara Temple

Considered as a national treasure by the ASI, this temple is another Gokarna Shiva temple built by the Cholas and expanded by the Chalukya kings, which was built in the 14th century. It is very similar to the Someshwara temples of Bangalore. With a massive structure and pillared building, it houses the ‘Garbhagriha’ and the ‘Kalyan Mandapa’, as well as carvings of elephants, cities, etc. One can visit here between 6 am to 12 noon and between 5:30 pm to 9 pm.