Mahabaleshwar Temple Gokarna

Mahabaleshwar Temple Gokarna (Timings, History, Entry Fee, Images, Pooja)

Hindus travel to the Mahabaleshwar temple, a significant pilgrimage site in South India, to worship Lord Shiva’s Aatmalinga or Prana Linga. The temple is highly significant in Hindu culture and is exquisitely constructed in the Dravidian architectural style.

Hindus visit the Mahabaleshwar temple in Gokarna, one of the seven Muktishetras, to carry out their final rituals. Every time you go to the temple, you will see a lot of people.

Since the fourth century AD, it has endured and been a well-known house of worship. It features stunning Gopuras inside the temple grounds and was constructed with white granite stones. King Mayurasharma, the well-known Kadamba Dynasty ruler, constructed the temple.

The temple walls are adorned with a deeply entrenched and exquisitely carved image of Lord Shiva that dates back 1500 years. The Mahabaleshwar temple’s Shaligrama Peetha encloses the enormous Atma Lingam.

According to legend, the Atma Lingam was given to Ravana by Lord Shiva, but history took a surprising turn and it was permanently buried at Gokarna.

Despite Ravana’s best efforts, he was unable to remove the stone, so he dubbed it “Mahabala” (the strongest). Thus, Gokarna’s Mahabaleshwar Temple got its name.

In addition, there are numerous shrines all around the temple, including Chandikeswara, Maha Ganapati, Thamira Gowri (the shrine of Goddess Parvati), Aadi Gokarneswara, Dattatreya, and Gokarnanayagi.

#Trivia: Another part of the boon is that, out of the two desires, Ravana begged Lord Shiva to grant him a wife as beautiful as Goddess Uma. Knowing that there would never be a more beautiful person than Goddess Uma, Lord Shiva surrendered his wife to Ravana. It was yet another factor contributing to the temple’s immense significance to pilgrims from all over.

Entry Fee and Timings of Mahabaleshwar Temple Gokarna

The Mahabaleshwar temple in Gokarna is free to enter. The temple is open daily from 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. You can buy flowers, incense sticks, and other items you might need to offer prayers and pay your respects to the gods and goddesses at the little Puja kiosks scattered throughout the temple grounds.

Location of the Mahabaleshwar temple

In Gokarna, the Mahabaleshwar Temple is situated on the Koti Teertha Road. It is close to where the Gangavali and Agnashini, two of South India’s most important rivers, merge. If you’d like, you can swim in the river and enjoy the variation in water hue.

Best time to visit the Mahabaleshwar Temple in Gokarna

October through February is the ideal time of year to visit the Mahabaleshwar Temple in Gokarna. It is preferable to pray at the temple and explore the various malls, beaches, and other tourist attractions during the dry, slightly chilly winter months.

Avoid going during the hottest summer and monsoon seasons.

Winter temperatures can reach as high as 32 degrees Celsius.

How to reach the Mahabaleshwar temple in Gokarna?

Bengaluru and Goa have excellent train and bus connections to Gokarna. If using a bus, you can disembark at the closest bus stop, which is around 600 meters from Mahabaleshwar Temple.

As an alternative, you might consider taking a road trip to Gokarna because of the stunning coastal scenery. You can enjoy taking beautiful pictures while taking in the green adventures that go by.

It will take approximately ten hours to travel the approximately 930 km from Bengaluru to Gokarna.