Gokarna is a significant pilgrimage town in Karnataka, India, known for its pristine beaches and sacred Hindu temples, particularly the Mahabaleshwar Temple, which houses the Atmalinga of Lord Shiva. The image depicts a figure, potentially Ravana, performing worship of a Shiva Lingam, which directly relates to the legend of the Atmalinga in Gokarna. Gokarna is also mentioned in many ancient scritures like Mahabharata, Skanda Purana, Bhagavatam, Varaha Purana, Siva Purana, Vamana Purana, Matsya Purana and Vayu Purana.
It is considered one of the seven sacred Mukti Kshetras, making it an important site for performing death rites for ancestors. Gokarna is called the southern Kashi. Sri Adi Shankaracharya established Sri Ramachandrapura Matha, the Jagadguru Peetam.
Gokarna is also one of the 7 Parashurama Kshetras of Karnataka. The Parashurama Temple in Gokarna is a revered Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu. It is located in Gokarna, Karnataka, a place known for its religious significance and temples.
Siva is worshipped as Mahabaleshwar and Devi as Bhadra Kali.
The temple houses the sacred Atmalinga, a Shiva Linga. It is a 4th-century CE temple built in the classical Dravidian architectural style.
The temple’s legend is linked to Ravana, the demon king from the Ramayana, and the placement of the Atmalinga in Gokarna by Lord Ganesha.
Ravana, seeking immortality, pleased Lord Shiva with his penance and requested an Atma Linga, which would make him invincible.
Shiva granted the boon but instructed Ravana not to place the linga on the ground before reaching Lanka.
Once again, to fail the motives of Ravana, Vishnu created the illusion of dusk. As Ravana, a great Brahmin, used to perform an evening Sandhyavandan ritual he got worried as how he will do it as he was having atma-linga in his hands. Ganesha, with Vishnu’s help, tricked Ravana into placing the linga on the ground at Gokarna. Lord Ganesh, disguised as a brahmin boy, comes in front of him and Ravana requests him to hold the atma linga so that he can perform his rituals. Ganesh accepts the request but on a condition that he would call Ravana thrice and if he will not come back then he will place atma linga on ground. When, Ravana was gone to perform the rituals, Ganesh called out his name thrice rapidly at the specific moment when he could not leave the ceremony in between. So, according to the deal, Ganesh then place the atma linga on the ground and vanished from there with his cows. Ravana tried to chase them, but got hold of only one of the cow’s ear. The rest of the cow’s body disappeared and he was left only with ear in a petrified form. The name of that place hence came to be known as Gokarna (gow means cow in Sanskrit and karna means ear).
As specified by lord Shiva, the atma linga was now rooted in Gokarna and was immovable even though Ravana tried hard to lift it. He then gave the name Mahabaleshawar to the atma linga meaning “all powerful”.
The Immovable Linga:
The Atma Linga became fixed to the spot where it was placed, and Ravana was unable to move it.
Scattering of the Coverings:
Frustrated, Ravana threw away the coverings of the linga, which scattered to different locations.
These locations, including Dhareshwar, Gunavanteshwara, Murudeshwara, and Sajjeshwara, became revered sites associated with the Atma Linga.
Mahabaleshwar Temple is ancient Shiva temple in Gokarna is a central pilgrimage site and a major attraction, embodying the spiritual significance of the town. The temple’s association with the Atmalinga and the legend of Ravana makes it a key link between the image and the query “Gokarna.”
Panchalinga Kshetras: The Mahabaleshwar Temple at Gokarna, where the actual Sivalinga got rooted, is considered the first and principal among the Panchalinga Kshetras of Karnataka, which also include Murudeshwara, Sajjeshwara, Dhareshwar, and Gunvanteshwara Temples.
There is a huge Siva statue near the seashore.
How to reach the temple?
By Air : The nearest airport is the Mangalore and one must board a bus or hire a cab to Gokarna.
By Train :The nearest railway station is Ankola buses and cabs are available to reach the temple.
By Road :To reach the temple, you can take buses from major cities like Bangalore.
