Karavali Coast - Be On The Road | Live your Travel Dream!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Temple Beach Town of Murudeshwar in Karnataka, India

As I entered another coastal town in Karnataka, I was greeted with the sight of a massive idol of Shiva that overlooks the Arabian Sea. This town is Murudeshwar and is famous for its Shiva temple and its long drawn beach.

Murudeshwar is a quiet town situated close to the halfway mark of the Karavali Coast between Honavar and Bhatkal. It is about 438 km NW of Bangalore.

After checking into a budget hotel close to the beach, I went to the seaside restaurant to grab a quick bite. This hotel, situated on concrete stilts at the edge of the Arabian Sea offers great views of the beach side and of the sea.

Since my grub at the sea-side restaurant was a tad too heavy, I decided to put it to good use by taking a walk on the beach. The Murudeshwar beach is a golden beach with vast stretches of empty sand and surrounded by palm trees and arecanut groves.

As the evening set in, crowd started to gather and so did the ice cream and other vendors who added spice and colour to this beach. Lots of boats are anchored on the beach front. They offer short boat rides into the Arabian sea every morning and evening.

A 3 hour boat ride from Murudeshwar takes one to Netrani Island (Netragudda), which is a great deep diving site. One can spot schools of barracuda, angelfish, eels, sea turtles and other colourful fish while diving here.

After my fairly long beach walk, I visited the temple theme park built and maintained by Murudeshwar Ceramics. This temple park visually depicts the history behind the formation of this place and is very well laid out.

One can spot mythological characters Arjuna and Krishna here. The most famous component here is the 123 foot high Shiva statue that can be spotted from almost anywhere in this town. From the top of the theme park, one can also spot the in-progress temple gopuram that again oozes scale and size.

After a wonderful walk through this theme park, I freshened up and paid a visit to the main Murudeshwar temple, where Lord Shiva is worshipped as “Aghora’, that is, in his ascetic form. The temple is located on a hillock that juts out into the sea and offers great views of the town and the Arabian Sea.

Murudeshwar – a very impressive spiritual coastal hamlet!!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

The Beaches of Gokarna, Karnataka, India – It can’t get any better!!

The previous evening, I had visited the Yaana hills nestled in the Western Ghats nearby. I had returned to camp the night at Gokarna – the town that is known for its beaches and its spirituality.

Gokarna is situated on the Karavali coast, to the north of Kumta and is nestled between the mouths of the rivers Agnashini and Gangavali. It is situated about 470 km NW of Bangalore.

Early in the morning, I went to the Mahabaleshwar temple to offer my prayers. It is here that I saw the 6 foot tall atmalinga. The entire streets surrounding the temple carry the fragrance and paraphernalia that one associates with pilgrimage towns.

Next, I began my beach visits. First on my list was the one that was the closest – the Gokarna beach. When I reached here, I found out that this was more the pilgrim’s beach and people take their religious bath here before proceeding to the temple.

I trekked 30 minutes south to reach a fine stretch of beach that is called the Kudle beach. This beach is nearly a kilometre long and is crescent shaped. It was cleaner than the Gokarna beach and was pretty popular with the tourists considering the amount of shacks and shops alike that were present near the beach.

I had lunch on the Kudle beach at one of the small shacks near and walked back to the temple where my bike was parked. From here, I rode through small roads that took me uphill.

After riding for about 5 kms, I was treated to fabulous views of the Kudle beach and the rocky cliffs. Another 3 kms uphill ride and a walk down the 100 steps below took me to the extremely picturesque OM Beach.

This beach gets its name from the two semi-circular coves that join to form an inverted symbol of OM. This beach is known for its spiritual hippies – with ash smeared on their foreheads, tattoos all over their body, long hair and beard and beads all over.

A great beach getaway – the OM Beach offers a lot for the tourist – relaxation, yoga, beach sports and some water sports. A lot of Europeans prefer this beach to the ones in Goa and one can spot them renting shacks for months, soaking in the sun, playing their guitar and living at one of nature’s best hideouts.

Close by are the more secluded Half Moon and Paradise beaches. One has to climb over the rocky cliffs or take a boat ride to reach them. Since I was running short on time, I couldn’t visit them, but plan to definitely camp there when I am headed towards Gokarna in the future.

Another popular option at Gokarna is to go on a moonlight trek from the Gokarna to the Half Moon beaches via the Kudle and OM beaches. A lot of outdoor groups organize such trekking activities.

The beaches of Gokarna – a pure and timeless experience!!