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Situated between Honnaar and
Bhatkal, 1 Km off the National
Highway is the scenic holy place
of Murdeshwar. The temple is
about 12 Kms from Bhatkal. The
palace is believed to have been
sanctified by a piece of the
Pranalinga of Gokarna's
Mahabaleshwara thrown by the
demon Ravana. The temple here
has been renovated recently and
has some beautiful carving and
statue. With the roaring sea to
the west, the towering hills to
the east and the coconut and
areca groves nearby the temple
attracts a lot of devotees and
tourists as well. The temple is
well-known for its intricate
Dravidian-style sculptures.
The world’s
tallest idol of Lord Shiva is
all set to come up at
Murudeshwar, already famous for
its ancient temple on the
seashore. The idol of Neelakanta
is 123 feet tall and has taken
nearly two years to build. The
idol was built at a cost of
around Rs 1 crore by Shimoga’s
Kashinath, his son Sridhar and
several other sculptors. The
idol is designed so that it
catches the sun’s eye and thus
appear sparkling.
While touring
this land of picture-postcard
scenery, be sure to witness some
of the quaint rituals of 'Bhuta'
worship, Nagamandala and the
demon dance.
Getting here:
Gokarna is well-connected to
Bangalore and Mysore. Regular
buses ply from Karwar, Goa and
Mangalore.
Where to stay:
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