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Phone Code 08386
Gokarna
is about 200km north of Mangalore (7 hr by bus) and 56km southwest of
Karwar on the seashore. According to the Gokarna Purana, “By mere
entrance into this Ksetra (holy place), one becomes liberated from hundreds
of sins, including even brahma-hatya (the killing of a Brahmin).”
Moreover, it is said that one becomes free from rebirth by just looking
at the Atma-linga, by hearing the roar of the sea, or by taking birth
in Koti-tirtha.
Many
long-term foreign visitors come to Gokarna, as there are nice secluded
beaches nearby. A half-hour walk south of Gokarna are four good, secluded
beaches popular with long-term travelers. The most popular time to visit
is between January and February. Many people come from Goa after New
Years, especially for the full moon.
Money
can be exchanged at the Om Hotel.
Beaches
Four of the most beautiful beaches in India are located south of Gokarna,
in the jungle. The first beach is called Kudle Beach,
and it is about a twenty-minute walk from Gokarna. To get to Kudle,
take the path that starts on the south side of the Ganapati Temple.
The path goes uphill and then drops down to Kudle Beach, a beautiful,
kilometre-long white sand beach surrounded by palm trees. At this beach
there are simple huts and beachside eating places. You need to bring
your own bedding. There is fresh water here.
The
next beach is OM Beach, thirty-minutes further south.
The beach got its name because it is shaped like the auspicious Om sign.
There are some really basic huts and some chai shops to eat at. Many
Indian pilgrims visit OM Beach on Sundays by bus and holidays to see
the sites. Best to come here on the weekdays
There
are two more beaches—Half-moon and Paradise—each
a thirty-minute walk from one another. You can get bottled water and
food on all the beaches near Gokarna including the Main beach, Kudle,
Om, Half Moon and Paradise beaches.
Mahaballeswara
Temple
This Siva temple is said to be next in sanctity only to the Vishwanath
Siva Temple in Varanasi. It is often called the Kashi of the
South. Hindus come here to perform the death rites for departed
ancestors.
Tradition
states that Lord Rudra (another name for Siva) was sent to Patalaloka
by Brahma to undergo penance. He eventually returned through the ear
of Mother Earth and blessed her with the name of Gokarna
(go, “cow”; karna “ear”). Thus this place served
Rudra as a womb. It is also known as Rudra Yoni and Adi Gokarna. As
time passed, Rudra collected the essence (sakti) of all Brahma’s
creations as well as his own essence and created a golden deer with
four legs, three eyes, and three horns. Eventually, the three horns
(representing the three guna-avataras) were placed at Pushkar (Brahma),
Shaligram (Vishnu), and Gokarna (Siva). These places are known as Siddhi
Ksetras.
Ravana
desired to possess Siva’s powerful horn-linga, also known as Prana-linga
or Atma-linga, so he performed penance and received the linga in a box
at Mount Kailash. Ravana then returned south with the linga on the condition
that wherever he placed it, it would become permanently rooted.
At the demigods’ request, Lord Vishnu contrived a means to trick
Ravana through Ganesh, disguised as a brahmacari. Eventually the Atma-linga
was placed at Gokarna, rooted all the way through to Sapta Patala, and
became known as Mahaballeswara (maha—great and bal—strength).
A
major festival is held here during the birthday of Siva (Siva-ratri)
in February. During this festival, a deity of Lord Siva is placed on
the huge temple Ratha (chariot) at the end of the bazaar near the Maha
Ganapati Temple.
Other Places in the
Area
The Shri Maha Ganapati Temple is dedicated to elephant-headed
Ganesh.
Koti-tirtha
Kund is said to have been created by Garuda. There is a Krishna
Temple here which is said to be where the Lord went to perform
penance after killing Banasura. There is also a temple dedicated to
Sri Venkateswara (Balaji).
Ram-tirtha, is said to be where Rama, Sita, and Laksman
visited after leaving Lanka. Lord Rama and his brother Bharata are said
to have performed penance here. There is a beautiful temple on the hill
overlooking the sea at this place.
Where to Stay and
Eat
On
the Beach
The Spanish Place has huts on Kudle Beach just big
enough to sleep in and to store a backpack for Rs 100. You need your
own sleeping bag or mat; they furnish a lock. There are fairly primitive
toilets and fresh water for showering. Has two rooms with bath (common
toilet) for Rs 250.
At OM Beach, Namaste has basic huts for Rs 75 and rooms with
common bath for Rs 150. Has a restaurant and Internet access.
There are other
basic huts and rooms are both OM and Kudle Beaches.
If
you are going to sleep on the beach, you should leave your valuables
in one of the hotels in Gokarna, such as Vaibhav Niwas or Nimmu House.
It
is not a good idea to sleep alone on an isolated beach.
In
the Town
OM Lodge (56445) has basic rooms with bath for Rs 175
and A/C rooms for Rs 400.
Rama Garden, about half a km north of town, has huts
for Rs 65/75 and beds for Rs 35. It is usually full.
New Prasad Nilaya (56250, 57135), about half a km from
the temple, is a modern place with basic clean rooms with bath for Rs
200 and Rs 250 with a balcony. Hot water in bucket.
Vaibhav Niwas (56714) has small rooms with common bath
for Rs 75/100 and Rs 125/175 with bath. It has left-luggage facilities.
Kinara Hotel, has clean rooms with bath for Rs 200/250.
Some rooms have a balconies.
Nimmu House (56730), Manibhadra Rd, near the temple,
has clean rooms with common bath for Rs 75/100 and with bath for Rs
150/200. You can sleep on the roof for Rs 40. It is a friendly, well-managed,
family-run place. It has left-luggage facilities. It is most likely
the best budget place.
Shastri’s (56220), Main Rd, has really basic
rooms for Rs 50/75 and rooms with bath for Rs 140.
KSTDC’s Hotel Samudra (56236), on a hill overlooking
the sea 2km from town, has clean rooms with bath for Rs 150 for a double
and Rs 250 for a room with four beds.
Gokarna International (088386 56622), on the main road,
has modern rooms with hot water and a nice balcony for Rs 250/300 up
to Rs 750 for an A/C deluxe room. It overlooks a palm tree grove. It
is a good place. Checkout time up to 4 pm. Recommended.
Where to Eat
There are basic chai shops that make meals on Kudle and Om beaches.
Prema is a decent pure veg place with good ice cream,
located across from the Main Siva temple.
Pai Hotel, Main St, has good, cheap vegetarian meals
and dosas.
Shri Raghvendra Restaurant has good vegetarian food.
Hotel Vinaya, on the main street, has vegetarian food.
Vishwa Niwas, has good breakfasts.
Kinara Hotel has a veg restaurant and ice cream.
Shri Shakti Cold Drinks, Car St., near the temple,
makes fresh juice, homemade cheese, breads, and cakes.
Travel
Train
The Konkan Railway passes close to Gokarna. Express trains stop at Karwar,
Kumta (23km), and Ankola (25km). The passenger train stops at Gokarna
Road (10km). A buses departs from Gokarna at 11 am to meet the train
going to Margao at 11.30 am. Gokarna Road Station (70487) is 9 km from
the town of Gokarna.
Bus
If you do not get a direct bus to Gokarna, catch a bus to either Ankola
or Kumta and from there take one of the frequent tempos (shared auto-rickshaws).
There
are direct buses to Karwar at 7 am, 8 am and 4 pm. To get to Karwar
at other times, catch a bus or tempo to Ankola and another bus from
there.
There
is a direct bus to Goa (5 hr) at 8 am. You can also catch a bus to Karwar
and then to Goa from there. If you are coming from Goa with a group,
you could rent a jeep or van and split the cost. This is a comfortable
way to travel.
There is a direct bus departing to Mangalore (252km) at 7 am anxe "Sringeri"
d returning at 1.30 pm. To get to Mangalore, you can also catch a bus
to Kumta, then a bus to Mangalore. There are four buses to Hubli in
the morning and one in the afternoon and one bus to Hampi at 7 am. There
is a bus from Bangalore at 9 pm and from Mysore at 6 am.
If you know of
a informationthat is not correct or if you would like to help update
our listings, please e-mail us at:
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