HOLY PLACES AROUND GOKARNA

Apart from Gokarna you can also visit other places nearby to this place located in coastal belt. These places are famous for temples, forests, waterfalls, monuments and much more and attracting millions of people every year.

Following are the main places in Coastal Karnataka, India.
Idagunji Maha Ganapathi Temple, Uttara Kannada District
Murudeshwara Temple, Murudeshwara, Bhatkal Taluk(U.K)
Anegudde Vinayaka Temple, Kundapura, Udupi Shri Krishna Temple, Udupi, Sri Manjunatha Swami Temple, Dharmasthala,
Horanadu Shri Annapoorneshwari Temple, Horanadu ,Shringeri Sri Sharadamba Temple, Shringeri.
Sri Mookambika Temple, Kolluru.
Kateel Shri Durgaparameshwari Temple, Kateel.
Kukke Shri Subrahmanya Temple, Kukke and,
Gokarnanatheshwara, Mangalore.

All above places come under Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Districts of Coastal Karnataka.
There are many temples located at Gokarna apart from Sri Maha Ganapathi and Shri Mahabaleshwara temple. Many people may not be knowing about other beautiful and marvelous temples such as, Sri Ram temple,Sri Bharat temple,Sri Jatayu temple,Sri Kala Bhairava temple,Sri Hanuman temple,Sri Adi gokarna temple,Sri Uma Maheshwara temple,Sri Bhadrakali temple,Sri Sharada Sharada temple,Sri Veerabhadra temple and Sri Gangamata temple. You can contact any tourist guide to visit all these places informing them well in advance.

ANEGUDDE SHRI VINAYAKA TEMPLE

Anegudde Vinayaka Temple is located 9 kilometers away from Kundapur Taluk of Udupi district. The distance between Gokarna to Anegudde Vinayaka temple is about 150 kilometers and can be reached by 3 hours.

According to the legend, Maharishi Agastya performed severe “tapas” (penance) to request God Varuna(Lord of rain) to abolish water scarcity since the area was hit by severe drought. During this time powerful rouge called as Kumbh Asura started destroying the penance of Maharishi Agastya. At the same time, Bheema (brother of Dharmaraja of Mahabharat) come to know about this and got angered on the incidence. Further, he also received great weapons from Lord Ganesh and killed Kumbhasura. Hence this name is also called as Kumbhashi. Since then Lord Ganesha resides at Kumbhashi as requested by Maharishi Agastya for the sake of devotees and to destroy iniquity.

Sankashti and Ganesh Chaturthi are being celebrated with great exultation at the temple. During this time, thousands of devotees attend to perform rituals. The temple is well constructed and decorated with beautiful craft works inside and outside of the temple.

Good transportation facilities are available here at Kundapura to reach Kumbhashi. Visitors can stay at Anegudde and Kundapura also. Tourist guide is available on request, but you need to consult Temple committee for information.

SHRI MURUDESHWARA

Murudeshwara is a holy pilgrimage land where lord Shiva lives in. It is also famous for beautiful and clean beaches near the temple. Murudeshwara temple of lord Shiva is a broken piece of Atmalinga of Gokarna throws away by Ravana the "rouge".

This place is attracting millions of pilgrimages every year and performs religious activities with devotion and belief. The temple is very beautiful with excellent architecture skills built by Sri R.N. Shetty, the industrialist and devotee of lord Shiva. The entire temple is notifying the story of Ramayana and Mahabharata the holy principle of Hindu religion.

Murudeshwara located in Bhatkal taluk of Uttara Kannada district and 155 kilometers away from district place. Murudeshwara is approximately 76 kilometers away from Gokarna. People whoever visiting Gokarna are also visiting Murudeshwara after worshiping to Lord Ganesh in Idagunji.

The temple is covered by a beautiful Arabian sea at three sides and surrounded by Western Ghats at another side. The temple is also popular for its tallest statue of Lord Shiva about 123 feet and the summit/tower of a temple is about 249 feet according to the temple committee.

Murudeshwara can be reached by road, (Government busses and private busses) Rail road, (Konkan Railway) and by Air.(nearest airport is Mangalore and Goa) Very convenient to reach this place without any worries.

People can visit this place at any time at all season. Accommodation facility (beach resort) is also available at Murudeshwara and even people can stay at Bhatkal or Kundapur also which is close to this place.

SHRI KSHETRA DHARMASTHALA

Shri Maha Mahima Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala is a land of holy, sanctities, and devotional land of Shri Swami Manjunatheshwara at the bank of Netravati river. By nature Swami Sri Manjunatha is Merciful, unassuming, and credulous. The distance between Dharmasthala and Gokarna is around 282 kilometers that can be reached within 6 hours by road, and the distance between Mangalore to this place is approximately 76 kilometers which can be reached in about 2 hours.

This spiritual land is one of the ancient and one of the world’s famous Shiva temples in south India, with a history of about more than 800 years. So, this place attracts millions of devotees every day. People stand in long queues from morning 4 a.m. for one glimpse of the beautifully bejeweled Shri Manjunatheshwara Swami.

Why the name Dharmasthala?

Meaning of Dharma is equity or religion. Meaning of Sthala is place or land. The combination of the two is Dharmasthala. It simply means, Lord Shiva lives in here to bless his devotees furnishing justice to them, piece, happiness, health and wealth to all.
This temple is also famous for miraculous happenings. It’s said and believed that any person who might be cheated upon, is sure to get justice if he dedicates himself wholeheartedly towards Lord.

Here every day is a festival like. Few most importantly celebrated festivals of this place are, Maha Shivaratri, Navaratri, Laksha deepotsava, Ganesh Chaturthi, Shravana maasa, Karthika Deepotsava, Deepawali and Chariot festivals apart from maha pooja.

The special eminence of this place is that people who are facing mental and domestic worries, injustice in dealing, distress, and depression will soon get relaxed after Sri Swami darshana.

Apart from private accommodations, facilities are provided in Dharmasthala by temple administration on prior intimation.

Being a central place, and during your stay at Dharmasthala you can visit many other spiritual holy temples which are located nearby about 50 to 80 kilometers away from this place.

SHRI KRISHNA TEMPLE, UDUPI

Udupi is a place famous for Lord Shri Krishna temple and also popular for eight mutts such as Puttige Mutt, Admar Mutt, Sode Mutt, Palimar Mutt, Pejawar Mutt, Krishna Mutt, Shirur Mutt and Kaniyoor Mutt. All these Mutts are headed by Swamiji. This is a birthplace of “Vaishnava” (Dvaita Sect) that is founded by Shri Madhvacharya in the 13th century. The Shri Krishna idol was enshrined by Shri Madhvacharya as per the instruction issued by the great almighty himself. The Krishna Mutt is well known to the world for its religious activities, Hindu traditions and glory of spiritual Dvaita philosophy. The Lord Krishna temple and Mutts are thronged with devotees every year for one glimpse of the beautifully bejeweled Idol of Shri Krishna. The special feature of Shri Krishna temple is that the devotees attach a great importance to darshana of Lord Shri Krishna through a window, known as Kanakana Kindi (peephole). Kanakana Kindi has its own history where it is believed that the Idol of Lord had turned the other way round to give darshana to his bhakta (devotee) who was abandoned by the society. So, This has been a tradition in this temple for years as an honour to Kanaka(the devotee’s name).

You can visit this place anytime in the year. Educationally, culturally and religiously Udupi is famous and popular in India. The special attraction of this place is “Food Preparation”. Yes! Udupi is leading in Hotel industry for its tasty and delicious food and food services all over the world.

This temple is situated in the heart of the city Udupi, Karnataka, India. The distance between Gokarna to Udupi is 178 kilometers and can be reached within 4 hours. The distance between Mangalore to Udupi is 60 kilometers by road. Very good transportation facilities from government and private services are available to reach Udupi. You can also reach Udupi by Konkan Railway within 3 hours from Gokarna. The journey is safe and comfortable. Rail Timings and bus timings details are available in Gokarna. Nearest Airport is Mangalore.

Nothing to worry about Food, Accommodation and travelling in Udupi as everything is readily available on prior information. Please collect more information from authorized travel guides at Udupi.

 KOLLURU SHRI MOOKAMBIKA TEMPLE

Shri Mookambika temple is located at Kollur, Kundapur Taluk of Udupi District in the valley of Kodachadri of Western Ghats 136 kilometers away and approximately 3 hours journey by road from Gokarna. It is border place to Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

This holy pilgrimage place is famous for Shri Mookambika(Parvati) temple, attracting thousands of devotees every day. The temple is situated on the banks of holy river Souparnika of Western Ghats. The temple is decorated with gold and copper and elegant architecture skills which enhances the beauty of the temple.

The statue of goddess is in the form of Jyotirlinga which is a combination of Lord Shiva and Shakti.

Other places to be visited near Kollur are:

Arishna Gundi waterfalls

Anegudde Vinayaka temple

Beautiful Kodachadri Mountain

Kashi Theertha river best for trekking. Located I kilometer away from temple

Mookambika wildlife sanctuary

Maravanthe beach

Sigandur Chowdeshwari Temple

Suparnika River for a holy dip

Jog falls

SHRINGERI SHARADAMBA TEMPLE

Shringeri is a beautiful place of Chikmagalur district of Karnataka state. This world famous holy place is popular for Shri Sharadamba Temple. This is the very first Matha that was established in India, known as Sringeri Sharada Peeta established by Shri Adi Shankaracharya who is a founder of Advaita Vedanta philosophy in the 8^th century. 

The temple is located at the bank of river Tunga and has a history of more than 1200 years. The distance between Gokarna to Sringeri is 230 kilometers by road and can be reached within 5 hours.

The holy Sharada temple is devoted to the Goddess of learning, wisdom, knowledge and skill. In the 14^th century, “Vidyaranya” (a saint) is said to have replaced the old sandalwood idol of the Goddess with that of stone and gold.

Other places to be visited near Shringeri.

Vidyashankara Temple

Sirimane falls

Hanuman Gundi falls

Sringeri Sharada Peetha

Rashi stambhas

Temple administration committee provides comfortable guest houses for devotees who visits temple. There are few private lodgings also available for the stay in Sringeri.

KATEEL SHRI DURGAPARAMESHWARI TEMPLE

Kateelu, a famous holy, pilgrimage, beautiful and amazing, and a tourist centered place is situated on the banks of sacred river Nandini. This holy temple or Kateelu is surrounded by thick green forest, rivers and valleys that mesmerize everyone. This temple is dedicated to Goddess Shri Durgaparameshwari. The holy temple is situated in the middle of the sacred river, Nandini.  This distance between Mangalore and Kateelu is approximately 29 kilometers and can be reached within 45 minutes. The distance between Gokarna to Kateelu is 220 kilometers and can be reached within 4 hours and 30 minutes by road.

Nearest Airport is Mangalore and Goa.

Festivals celebrated in Kateelu:

 Mesha Sankramana

This festival is being celebrated in the temple for 8 days by decorating and jewelling the idol of Shri “Durga Parameshwari” everyday. Usually this festival will be celebrated in the month of April.

Laksha Deepotsava:

This festival is celebrated during the period of Kartika Bahula Panchami.

Sharan Navratri:

Sharan Navaratri festival is celebrated during the period of Ashwayuja Shuddha Pratipada day and is celebrated for 9 days with great pomp and joy.  On this occasion Ranga Pooja Seva is carried out that witnesses thousands of devotees. Lalitha Panchami, Maha Navami and Vijayadashami are few special days of Navarathri festival.

“Yakshagana”:

Yakshagana is a traditional theatre form that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, makeup, and stage techniques with a unique style and form. This theatre style is mainly found in Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka. Shri Kateelu Yakshagana Mela is a popular Yakshagana mela. These different mela (German band) is known by, Kateel Sri Durgaparameshwari Yakshagana Dashavatara Mandali, popularly known as Kateelu Mela. Generally such mela’s perform ‘Harake Seva’ during such festival occasions. They perform “Yakshagana” as requested by devotees who have made commitment to fulfill a vow (Harake) to Shri Durgaparameshwari.

Food, Accommodation facility, Utility service, Guide services are available in Kateelu always. But you will have to intimate well in advance for accommodations during festival season.

ANNAPOORNESHWARI TEMPLE HORANADU:

The distance between Horanadu Shri Annapoorneshwari Temple to Gokarna is about 300 kilometers and can be reached 6 hours by road.

The Annapoorneshwari temple at Horanadu is an another powerful Shakti Devate.(Goddess)  Devotees who worship and perform religious activities to Goddess Shri Annapoorneshwari devi gain Knowledge, asceticism, and moreover as she is the genius loci of fodder, devotees also gain good health and wealth. The Goddess Annapoorneshwari is completely bejeweled and covered with Gold, Gems, Pearls and Diamonds.  This is an ancient temple located on the bank of Bhadra River of Chikkamagaluru district. Horanadu is surrounded by green forests of Western Ghats, and covered with rivers, pepper, areca nuts, banana, cardamom, beetle leaves, honey, and coconut plantations. Shri Annapoorneshwari outshines with remarkable Shanka, (conch) Chakra, Sri Chakra, and Devi Gayatri on her forehead.

Temple provides foods as “Anna Dana” (rice donation) to all the devotees every day.

The name of the temple today has been changed to Adhishakthyathmaka Sri Annapoorneshwari Ammanavara Temple by Temple committee.

KUKKE SHRI SUBRAHMANYA SWAMI TEMPLE

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. ... There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter."

Yes! It is true in the case of Shri Kukke Subrahmanya Swami Temple location. The place Kukke is surrounded by thick green forest, mountains, rivers, green plantations and mesmerizing natural beauty with various breeds of birds and animals of Western Ghats of Karnataka.

This temple is under Muzrai Department of Karnataka Government. The temple is located in Sullia Taluk of Dakshina Kannada District 335 kilometers away from Gokarna and can be easily reached in 6 hours and 15 minutes.

Kukke is the base of Nags. (Ophidians) The lord of Naga is Shri Subrahmanya Swami. Shri Subrahmanya swami is associated with Shri “Vasuki” the “King of Serpent”, and hence all devotees worship Shri “Subrahmanya” to attain salvation from “Sarpa Dosha.”

Devotees who visit temple perform various rituals like Sarpa Samskara, Naga Prathista, Ashlesha Bali with many other ritual activities. Thousands of people visit this temple every day from different parts of the world to carry out different rituals.

Food and accommodation is not a problem here and other all facilities can be availed from Temple committee on prior information especially in case of special ritual activities.

Nearest Airport is Mangalore and Goa. Highway connects easily to different parts of country through Private and Government Transpirations.