The Mahabaleshwar Temple is one of the major temples in Gokarna. It is situated at the western end of the main street. The main deity here is two-armed, standing, and at least 1500 years old. The idol of Lord Ganesha also is ancient. Shivarathri festival is celebrated here with great enthusiasm.

(A huge chariot taken in a procession during the Shivaratri festival. Photo Credit: rorraliz)

Each year a team builds up two great temple chariots which are used during the Shivarathri festival.

The two great temple chariots lead a procession through the town's narrow streets, while priests and pilgrims chant hymns in praise of Shiva. More than a hundred people are needed to pull the chariots with thick ropes while priests conduct religious ceremonies inside.

During the four day Shivarathri festival (during February or March every year) the small town of Gokarna is visited by up to 20,000 pilgrims.

Close to Mahabaleshwar temple about 500 yards from here, is the Venkataramana temple and about 100 yards from here is the temple tank (Kalyani) called Koorti Theertha. 

Other temples in Gokarna include Uma Maheshwari Temple, Bhadrakali Temple, Varadraj Temple and the  Tamra-Gauri Temple. 

Gokarna Beaches 

The most popular beaches in Gokarna are Gokarna beach, Kudle Beach, Om Beach, Half moon Beach and Paradise Beach (also known as Full moon).

Gokarna beach hugs the coast of Gokarna town and are frequented by locals mostly for an outing.

You can take an autorickshaw from the bus-stand or railway station to reach here.

Kudle (Koodlee) beach is another popular location cane reached by a walk for about 20 minutes south of the town.

You have to start at south of the Ganapati Temple (ask the locals) and head southwards.

After a few minutes you reach a hill with beautiful views of the sea. On one side of this hill are a series of half-moon beaches. These beaches are hugged by the lush Western Ghats and form a contrasting picture with the serene sea.

Om Beach - At another end of Kudle beach (in the southern side) another hill climbs up and a walk of about 20 minutes later gets you to Om Beach.

Om beach is perfect if you want to spend hours on end enjoying the scenery and the sea.

Om beach is named so because it looks like the Hindu symbol 'Om'.  The beach is pretty clean and lightly crowded.

There are a few small restaurants, cafes and tea shops here. Beer is available in a few of these shops.

Half Moon Beach and Paradise beach are small isolated beaches about 30 minutes from Om beach.

There are no permanent shelters here and it is advisable to stay in Gokarna town. However these beaches are un-crowded and you could spend time here staring at the sea.

Accommodation at the Beaches

Of all the beaches, only Kudle beach and Om Beach have decent places to stay. You can get huts and shacks from Rs 100 to Rs 500. 

There is a hotel called Gokarna hotel on Kudle beach costing you about Rs 650/- a day (non air conditioned rooms).

Jungle Lodges Resort run a place on Om beach called Om beach resort offering ayurvedic massages and pick and drop facilities to places like Goa. They also offer local sightseeing services.

You can check their website at www.ombeachresort.com. The prices are in USD and it looks like they want to invite foreign tourists only. You can also contact thier Bangalore office at (+91) (80) 25597021 / 24 / 25

There are quite a few hotels in Gokarna town that you can stay in and explore around. Bear in mind that during Shivarathri (February - March) the hotels can get full. In such a case you can stay at Karwar.

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