Trip to Murudeshwar, Karnataka

Location: Murudeshwar is an out an out commercial place on a small stretch of land on the coast of Arabian sea. It is located in Bathkal taluk of Uttara Kannada (North canara) district of Karnataka, India.

Distance: Around 455 km from Bangalore, 45 km from Gokarna, 180 km from Mangalore, 12 km from Bathkal, 20 km from Idagunji, 120 km from Karwar, 195 km from Shimoga, 100 km from Udupi

How to reach there:  Murudeshwar can be conveniently reached directly by private bus. From Bangalore you can try SRS Travels and VRL Travels for a direct journey. SRS and VRL has sleeper bus where each berth cost around Rs 400. Or you can reach via Mangalore, Sirsi etc. For more  info on bus visit – Makemytrip.com or Redbus.in.

One can also use train if you are traveling on the Konkan railway line. Or can get down at Bathkal. From Bathkal Murudeshwar is around 12 km and you can take a bus ride.

Route:

1. From Mangalore: Mangalore: Udupi – Kundapur – Byndoor – Bhatkal – Murudeshwar

2. From Karwar: Karwar: Kumata – Honnavar – Murudeshwar

3. From Sirsi: Sirsi – Kumta – Honavar – Murudeshwar

From Bangalore you can either go from Sirsi or Mangalore route. There one more route which goes through Kollur.

Where to stay:

1. Naveen hotels

Website: http://www.naveenhotels.com/

Where to eat:

1. Naveen Beach Restaurant – In terms of view and location this restaurant is amazing. There three story restaurant is located on the sea and one has to go through narrow bridge to reach there. It is a completely veg restaurant. The 3rd floor serves North Indian and Chinese and the other floors serves normal south Indian food. There is an A/C section also but it was not operational when we visited. Customer service is little shoddy which can definitely be improved. Food quality is above average and cost is little bit on the higher side.

Language spoken: Kannada, Tulu and Hindi. English is spoken and understood to an extend.

Murudeshwar is a man made destination and is beautified by the developments done single handedly by RN Shetty. It is said that he prayed to Lord Shiva for wealth and in this regard he built a huge state of Lord Shiva know as Murudeshwar. Murudeshwar is another name of Lord Shiva. Here almost all the establishments are run by RN Shetty. It is famous for the second largest statue of Lord Shiva in the world situated in the backdrop of Arabian sea on a hill.

We reached Murudeshwar around 2 pm from Idagunji on the last leg of our trip. It was very hot and Sun was scorching.

Note: Do carry sun screen lotion, cap, sun glass and small hand towel.

The first sight of Murudeshwar was a busy assembly of people. As we alighted from our van, the first view of Murudeshwar and my heart said just awesome. We were hungry by then and went directly for food at Naveen Beach Restaurant. After lunch we slowly proceeded to see the 123 feet statue of Lord Shiva located on a hill. As we started climbing the steps the view of the coastline on the backside got even better. The hill has been beautified with ornamental plans and using various artifacts of Hindu gods and goddess. Just below the statue of Lord Shiva there are temple rooms with deities. This hill is situated at the junction of two crescent shaped beach. So the view from the hill is very good. We took the path around the Shiva statue and completed a circle of the hill. On the right hand side you can a Sun (Surya) statue, Arjun and Lord Krishna sitting on a chariot from Mahabharata etc. We also went little down hill to check the other side. The roads are well pitched and the entire hill is banked by concrete. On the extreme right you have many guest houses owned by the likes of Khodays etc. Then there is RNS residency which gives an amazing view of the Arabian sea.

Then we went to Murudeshwar temple. This is said to be a very old temple and was renovated by RN Shetty. The presiding deity here is Lord Murudeshwar (Shiva) in the form of a Shiva linga. The linga is said to be a part of the Atma Linga which Ravan obtained after praying Lord Shiva. The main temple also has various deities like Lord Hanuman, Ganesha etc.

Then we went to Raja Gopura. It is said to be the largest gopura in the world and stands at 249 feet. The 20 storied gopura can be climbed by lift which cost Rs 10 per person. The view from the top of the Gopura is awesome. There are four windows through which you can get a panoramic view of the surrounding.

It was too hot till 5 pm to venture in the sea. So we waited until the sun mellowed down little bit. Then applying sun screen lotion which my friend brought along with him, we went to the sea. The sea here is good in terms of waves but not rough. The beach here is clean and you can go around 4 – 5 meters inside the sea. However, the bath in sea did not helped much as the water too was warm. Other things you can try in the sea are – you can go for a ride on a single motor bike, mini boats and large boats. They can take you on a short tour of the sea side around Murudeshwar. We had to skip the boat rides as we were short of time.

We had been waiting for the sunset here. As the downswing of sun started we were busy capturing its drama with the cloud in the backdrop of Arabian sea. As we realized it was over 6 pm we headed back. For shower in fresh water, bathrooms are available near Navin Beach Hotel for a fees of Rs 10. Sometime you will find people asking you to avail bathroom facility so just follow them or you are unable to find it ask somebody. By the time we got fresh it was dark. The night view at Murudeshwar is lovely and sitting on the beach then would be soothing. We left Murudeshwar in our van after 6.30 pm. We had to catch a VRL bus from Sirsi to Bangalore scheduled to leave at 10 pm. Lord Murudeshwar’s grace we reached in time.

To view the complete set of pictures visit, TravelingBeats Photo Gallery.

Official website: http://www.murudeshwar.org/