Mahabaleshwar Temple in Gokarna | Most reputed Shiva Temple

Mahabaleshwar Temple, located in a small coastal town of Gokarna, this Shiva temple is one of the most reputed Hindu shrines of Karnataka. The legend of this shrine goes back to the great epic Ramayana. Ravana was a demon king of Sri Lanka, who was equally a great devotee of Lord Shiva. To remain immortal, Ravana learnt through his mother that he needed to have ‘Atma Linga’ (one form of Lord Shiva) to keep with him. He did severe penance in Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva and attained the boon with 2 conditions. Though he is a demon of all powers, he needs to return back to Sri Lanka only by walking which is the first condition. The second is, he should not put it down on the ground. If so, it would get permanently embedded where it is dropped.

It is a universal fact that those who are born should have to die one day. If Ravana became immortal, he could do anything against the people and Gods too. So, Lord Shiva needed the help from Lord Vishnu. When Ravana was returning back to Lanka, it was the evening time he reached Gokarna. Realizing that it was time for his evening prayers (Sandhyavandana), Lord Ganesh was instructed by Vishnu to be disguised as a small boy at that place. Looking at his divinity, Ravana gave that Linga to him asking him to keep it for a while before his return. Wasting no time, that boy placed the Linga on that ground saving the world from Ravana. All the efforts of Ravana to uproot it failed. Understanding the play by the Gods, Ravana could contain his anger showing all his strengths lifting that Linga.

But it all went in vain. Hence, the Linga is named Mahabaleshwar, meaning the strongest of all. Constructed in Dravidian style of architecture, the earliest details about its construction was found to be by one Mayurasharma of the Kadamba dynasty in the early 4th century. The main shrine is 6 feet tall which can be touched by the pilgrims. Devotees first take a dip at the nearby sea and then move into the temple. Queen Chennammaji, Soma Sekhar Nayakas of Keladi, Visvesvaraya of Halasunadu, Chhatrapati Shivaji have all contributed to the development of this temple. It is the only temple from Karnataka in the list of 276 Paadal Petra Sthalams of the 7th century Tamil hymn, Thevaram.