Between the swaying waves of the Arabian sea on one side and
the rustle of wind from the Ghats on the other, is the Mahabaleshwar temple of
Gokarna dedicated to the divinity of Lord Shiva. The temple is considered as
pious as the Shiva temple at Varanasi or Kashi, bestowing immense blessings on
devotees. It is one of the sacred Muktishalas, where Hindus perform rituals for
the departed. It was first constructed by Mayurasharma of the Kadamba dynasty,
who ruled between 345 - 365. Visvesvaraya of Halasunadu-Kundapura built the
Chandrasala and Nandi pavilions. The temple is a large complex of shrines, many
built during the Vijayanagara period. In 1665, Shivaji is believed to have came
here to worship the deity.
Location Karnataka , Uttara Kannada, Bengaluru
Legend
Ravana performed severe penance at Kailasa and got the
Athmalinga from Lord Shiva for his mother with the condition that he should not
keep it down till he reached the destination. The Gods frightened that Ravan
would be powerful with the Linga approached Ganesha. Dressed as a Brahmin boy, Ganesha persuaded
the demon king to give him the Linga when Ravana had to do his evening prayers.
He put the Atmalingam down at Gokarna, and Ravana could not move the sacred
idol from here.
This temple is part of Mukti Kshetra Darshan.
Architecture
The Mahabaleshwar temple of Gokarna is built in a classical
Dravidian style of architecture with sculptured Gopura or dome towering above.
The sanctum has a small hole from where
devotees can see the top of the Atmalinga.
A carved stone image of Lord Shiva is placed here. A stone idol of Nandi
stands facing the Lord. The temple also has a shrine with a granite idol of
Lord Ganesha.
Culture
Gokarna is a small temple town and one of the sacred
pilgrimage sites of the Hindus. The beaches Gokarna attracts a lot of tourists
from India as well as abroad and has turned the place into a popular tourist
destination.
Picture courtesy: commons.wikimedia
Darsan Info
Temple timings :
6.00 AM to 8.30 PM (temple is closed from 2.00 PM to 5.00PM)
Sparsh darshan is allowed only from 6.30 AM to 12.30 PM and
from 5.00 AM to 8.00 PM
Darsan Dresscode
Men need to remove shirts/vests while entering the
Garbhagriha of Gokarna Mahabaleshwara Temple.
Famous Festival
March - Maha Shivaratri, Rathyatra(Feb/March)
August - Ganesh Chathurthi
November - Vijayadashami
Temple Rituals
Every day thrice, pooja is performed with Pancha Vadya.
Amrutanna Prasad Bhojana is served twice daily to all the
devotees at the Gokarna Temple.
Special Rituals
Devotees can touch the Atmalinga and perform Abhisheka
themselves.
Additional Info
Eateries near Gokarna Temple:
Hotel Durgamba
Pai hotel
Supermarket : Available
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