Wednesday 4 July 2012

Murudeshwar - A Perfect Blend Of Scenic Beauty and Spirituality

 A phone call from my friend from Murudeshwar made me to recollect my visits to this beautiful placeMurudeshwar is a town in the Bhatkal Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India lying on the coast of the Arabian Sea. It is famous for a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is pilgrims paradise and located on NH 17.
The legend of Murudeshwar goes back to the age of Ramayana. The ancient temple which stood for ages was fast dilapating. The locals tried rebuilding the sanctum sanctorum earlier, but it did not last long. Then the businessman and philanthropist Mr. R.N. Shetty, who hails from Murudeshwar,  started renovation work in 1977 with a team of craftsmen and artisans. So the credit of beautiful, modern Murudeshwar goes to Mr. R N Shetty and his team.
Distance View Of the Temple
This temple is built on the Kanduka Hill and offers breathtaking scenery because it is surrounded on three sides by the water of the Arabian Sea. This temple is built in granite. Besides the temple, sculptures and monuments enhance the beauty of Murudeshwar Temple. These Sculptures tell stories of Shiva and Ravana. The pilgrim finds himself in the midst of other numerous sculptures on the Kanduka hill. Right from the monumental entrance arch, the divinity of the place envelops the pilgrim. Some of the attractive sculptures and monuments are -
1. World's second Largest Shiva Statue : A huge  statue of Lord Shiva, visible from great distances, is present in the temple complex. It is the second highest statue of Lord Shiva in the world. The Tallest Lord shiva statue is in Nepal known as the Kailashnath Mahadev Statue. The statue is 123 feet in height and took about two years to build. The statue was built by Shivamogga's Kashinath (You can see his name near the feet of the Statue) and several other sculptors ofcourse, financed by Mr. R.N. Shetty. Now this Shiva Statue has become the landmark of Murudeshwar.


2. Sculpture of the Geetopadesha by Lord Krishna to Arjuna

3. Sun chariot
Front View of the Sun Chariot
Back View Of The Sun Chariot
4. The sculpture of Lord Ganesh receiving the Atmalinga from Ravana in the form of a young boy

5. 22 Storeyed Rajagopura  - The Rajagopura at the entrance of the Temple complex is the world's tallest, standing at 249 feet. This is the newly added masterpiece and inaugurated in May 2008. The Gopura has 22 floors and is the only Gopura to be fitted with elevators.

6. Sculpture of two big elephants at the steps leading to main temple.


7. An artificial cave with impressive life-size sculptures depicting the story of Murudeshwar and Atmalinga narrated through an impressive sound and light show.
( Click Here to read my post on this artificial cave)
 Not just the Temple and sculptures, Murudeshwar has a plentiful to appeal to the visitor. The scenic beauty of this coastal town is sure to relax and rejuvenate you!
The calm and wide sea soothes the senses even before you enter the water. A stroll along the seaside pathway with green landscape on one side and the sea on the other is the ultimate relaxation. You can enjoy half an hour boating facility in the sea. Boating is very thrilling experience here as you can see back side of the temple and Kanduka hill.
If you are hungry then head to the beautiful seaside canteen (RNS Naveen Restaurent) that's built on piers raised from the seabed. This restaurant offers a beautiful view of the sea. 

There's more for the children. There's a wavepool and waterpark also nestled on the hillock.
Definitely not to be missed is the spectacular sunset across the sea on a clear evening. The best view would be from the Sunset Point next to the wavepool. Now I am falling short of words to describe this scenic and spiritual  beauty of this place.
RN Shetty Trust : Description about Murudeshwar will not be completed without mentioning about Mr. R N Shetty, the brain behind Murudeshwar's transformation. With a view to develop the once sleepy village and provide quality education to the children he has opened schools and colleges which serve the neighbouring villages.
R.N Shetty (known as RNS) Trust has opened a School, Pre University College, a Polytechnic that offers Diploma in technical courses, a teachers' training college, a nursing school, nursing college and a Medical College and Hospital. These institutes are equipped with state of the art facilities and provide quality and affordable education to the locals.
Best Time to Visit Murudeshwar :
I have visited Murudeshwar many times in all the seasons. Each season brings out a different color of the coastal town. But best time would be from October - May.
A car festival is held during February - March. Maha Shivaratri is celebrated here with a grand manner.
How to reach Murudeshwar :
Murudeshwar is well connected by road, train and flight. Most buses plying on the NH-17 between Mangalore and Mumbai stop at Murudeshwar. There are overnight buses also from Bangalore to Murudeshwar.
The nearest airport is also at Mangalore. Daily flights operate from Bangalore to Mangalore.
But the most picturesque and memorable experience would be to reach Murudeshwar from Mangalore or Goa by Konkan Railway and alight at Murudeshwar railway station adjoining the National Highway. Many trains stop at this station. From Murudeshwar Railway station,  just 10 mins enough to reach the temple. You can sea entrance arch to the temple from Railway Station.
Food and Stay :
You can stay in one of the RNS group of Hotels. There are variety of options for food and stay to suit your budget.
-> RNS Guest house - Located just behind the temple on the Kanduka Hill
-> RNS Naveen Beach Resort - Located right opposite to the sea shore
-> RNS Golf Resort- Located alongside the seashore of Murudeshwar
If you want to stay near the railway station then Hotel Benzy International would be one of the options.
Nearest attractions : A place called Kadavinakatta which is situated just 25 Kms away from Murudeshwar offers a beautiful dam and a temple of Goddess Durga Parameshwari. 
Click Here to read my post on Kadavinakatta.

3 comments:

Rakesh Holla said...

Nice photos...Especially last one:-)

Solo Backpacker said...

Amazing photographs. you wrote an excellent post.well organized and very informative.

R Niranjan Das said...

You have a lovely travel blog. Keep travelling.

http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in