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Murudeshwar Temple Complex, Karanataka, India
Murudeshwara temple, dedicated to Bhagwan Shiv, lies in the holy beach town in the Bhatkal
Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India. Situated between the Honnavar
and Bhatkal town(about 12kms) The statue of Shiva here is the world’s tallest (as claimed) and it
lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea. How tall is Murudeshwar temple? 249 ft tall
Murudeshwar temple is built on the Kanduka Hill. It is a temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva, and
a 20-storied 249 ft tall Raja Gopura which considered the tallest Gopura in the world. The Statue
of Shiva with Ravana handing Atma Linga to Bramhin boy(Lord Ganesha)
Murudeshwara Temple and Raja Gopura : This temple is built on the Kanduka Hill which is
surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Arabian Sea. It is a temple dedicated to the Lord
Shiva, and a 20-storied Gopura is being constructed on the temple. Two life-size elephants in
concrete stand guard at the steps leading to the temple. The entire temple and temple complex,
including the 249 feet tall Raja Gopura, which is considered the tallest gopura in the world, was
constructed to its present form by businessman and philanthropist Mr R N Shetty.
What the Murudeshwar temple is most famous for is the massive Shiva statue it houses. Known
to be the second-highest statue of Sri Anantadrishti, another name for Lord Shiva, the huge
structure can be seen from afar. It is 123 feet tall and was built in over two years.
Murudeshwar Shiva statue
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HISTORY AND THE LEGEND ASSOCIATED
The temple itself has been named as per its significance, Murudeshwara refers to Shiva. The
interesting story of the temple has been linked to the ear of Ramayana. As a result of the penance
dedicated to the Atma Linga, Lord Shiva gave the power of invincibility and immortality to
Hindu Gods. Consequently Ravana, the king of Lanka also tried wooing Lord Shiva by
worshipping him so as to attain invincibility and immortality. When Lord Shiva appears before
Ravana after looking at his devotion, and he asks Ravana to tell him, whatever he wants. Ravana
then asks for Goddess parvathi and Lord thus gives Parvathi to Ravana.
On the way to Lanka, Narada muni deceits him into believing that the one who was with him
was not Parvathi and the real Parvathi is in Pathala. Consequently Ravana went to Pathala and
married a king’s daughter who believed was real Parvathi. After knowing that he has been fooled
by Naryana, he again sits to meditate As a result of which Lord Shiva Appears. This time he
asked Lord Shiva to bless him with the sacred Atma Linga and Shiva accepting his demand, gave
him the Lingam but puts a condition before Ravana that if ever this Lingam will be kept on the
ground all its powers will come back to Lord Shiva.
This made narada to realise that with Atma Linga in his hands, Ravana will create havoc on the
earth by obtaining immortality and so he thought of approaching Lord Ganesha for help. While
Ravana was on the way to Lanka, Lord Vishnu planned to remove the effect of the Sun’s light so
as to make it appear as dusk which will compel Ravana to perform his evening rituals and he will
have to put the Linga on the ground. While he was thinking of the curse of Atma Ling, a
Brahmin boy approached him who was actually Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha had taken up the
form so that he would put the Atma Linga on the ground while he goes for the evening rituals.
Lord Ganesha’s plan worked and when Ravana returned he found the Linga on the ground. This
made him furious and he understood about the plan and out of anger he tried destroying the
Lingam. In the process he threw the case which was covering the Lingam to Sajjeshwara at a
distance of 23 miles while the lid of the case he threw to Guneshwara and Dhareshwara situated
at a distance of about 10-12 km. And the piece of cloth covering the Atma Lingam he threw to
Mrideshwara which was later named as Murudeshwara.
When it comes to travel and tourism, Karnataka is perhaps one of India’s most underrated states.
It is simply amazing how one state can be home to such a wide variety of tourist spots. With part
of the Western Ghats adorning this state, it is abundant in lush green natural beauty. It is located
on the southwest coast of India which means it has some spectacular beaches facing the Arabian
Sea, like the Om beach in Gokarna. And then there are the historic ruins of Hampi which attract
many a history enthusiast. But what really makes Karnataka an amazing Indian destination worth
visiting are its temples. Be it their architecture, their religious significance, their history or their
location, most temples in Karnataka are alluring, to say the least. One such temple is the famous
Murudeshwar temple located in Murudeshwar. It is one of the best Shiva temples in India.
Here are 5 interesting facts about the Murudeshwar temple that are worth knowing.
The Murudeshwar temple is built on the Kanduka hill in the quaint town of Murudeshwar which
lies in the Bhatkal Taluk of the north Kannada district. As a result, it is surrounded by beautiful
views of the Arabian Sea which falls on three sides of the temple.
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The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. In fact, Murudeshwar is one of the forms of the great
Hindu deity Shiva who is revered by devotees all across the globe. Murudeshwara is a town in
Uttara Kannada region in southern India. The name "Murudeshwara" means Shiva or Eeshwara.
Murudeshwar Temple
Murudeshwar temple is one of such temples which look quite contemporary though it belongs to
the ancient era. The temple is dedicated to worshipping Lord Murudeshwara considered to be
one of the forms of Lord Shiva. The temple is situated in India in the state of Karnataka. The
temple has one gripping thing is that it is surrounded by Arabian Sea from three sides and the
temple premises begins with a twenty storied Gopuram. Besides that the thing that makes it way
more bewitching is the location of a huge statue of Lord Shiva which is the second largest statue
of Lord Shiva in India.
The twenty storied Gopuram at the entry of the temple complex is around 237.5 feet tall and is
called as Raja Gopuram. The temple has been built on a small hillock called as Kanduka. A list
has been built for the convenience of the devotees which carries them to the hill top and to the
top of the Gopuram. The most exciting thing about the temple is the scenic view of the Lord
Shiva statue along with the breathtaking view of the seashore. At the foot of the temple is located
a temple devoted to Shri Rameshwara. Next to the idol of Lord Shiva is the also present a shrine
devoted to Shaneeshwara while below the Lord Shiva’s idol is a small cave. At the entry gate of
the temple are the statues of two elephants which are believed to act as the guard to the temple.
Within the temple premises is present a depiction of Lord Shiva giving the teaching of Geeta to
Arjuna and beside that the depiction of Ravana giving the Atma Linga to Lord Ganesha. Except
the principle sanctum, which still holds the same old flavour, the whole temple has been
transformed in the contemporary style. The contemporary temple had been built by R.N Shetty, a
philanthropist and businessman.
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SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TEMPLE
It is believed that, Lord Shiva had given the Atma Linga to Ravan as a gift for his
penance, which sits originally in the heart of Shiva. The temple features the cloth which
covered the Atma Linga. It is also said that all the Gods, according to the Hindu
scriptures attained invincibility and mortality after worshipping Lord Shiva.
Karnataka is believed to contain Lord Shiva’s Pancha Kshetra and Murudeshwar temple
is one of the Pancha Kshetra of the state, and the four other being Dharmasthala,
Nanjanagud, Gokarna and Dhareshwara.
The most noticing highlight of the temple is the mammoth statue of the Lord Shiva which
has been built such that that the rays of the Sun first falls on the Shiva’s statue. This
Shiva statue here at the temple Murudeshwar is the second largest statue of Lord Shiva,
the largest being the Kailash Nath Mahadeva statue in Nepal.
Inside the main shrine of the temple is a Deep which is believed to be burning the way it
burnt when the temple was built. In order to get blessing of the God for prosperity and
good luck, people pour oil into the burning Deep and see their image into the oil.
The gigantic Gopuram at the entrance is believed to be the second tallest of all the
Gopurams in the world and has a height of 237.5 feet while the tallest Gopuram is located
at Srirangam temple in Tamilnadu.
Also, at Murudeshwara, saint Bhagirath awaits for Ganga to come on the earth from the hair
lock of Lord Shiva.
The Alluring Raja Gopura The Raja Gopura means the 'King of Towers', this temple
tower in Murudeshwara lives upto its name. The Raja Gopura has 20 floors and people
can also reach the top of the tower by lift.
Kanduka Hill: A Peninsula The Murudeshwar temple is located in Kanduka hill which is
surrounded by the Arabian Sea on 3 sides. Thus, providing the great vistas of the sea.
Looking Back to Ramayana The formation of the Murudeshwara temple is related to the
times of the Hindu epic Ramayana.
Ravana and Atma-Linga The legend says, Ravana had acquired Atma-Linga from Lord
Shiva on a condition that he should not keep it on the ground before reaching Lanka.
Devatas didn't want Ravana to gain immoratality and become powerful. So they deviced
a plan.
Ganesha's Trick Gods (devatas) seek help from Lord Ganesh. He disguised in the form of
a boy tricks Ravana to give him the Atma-Linga. While Ravana is doing his prayers,
Ganesha places the Linga in Gokarna. Thus, the Linga gets fixed on the ground.
The Modern Architecture The Murudeshwar Temple is one of the popular temples in
Karnataka. It has a blend of modern and traditional architecture. The statue was built by
Kashinath and financed by a business man named R.N.Shetty.
Also, at Murudeshwara, saint Bhagirath awaits for Ganga to come on the earth from the
hair lock of Lord Shiva.
The legend of Murudeshwar dates back to the age of Ramayana. Ravana, the asura king of Lanka,
wanted to have the powerful Atmalinga of Shiva, so that he can become invincible and immortal by
worshipping it. Pleased by his severe atonement, Lord Shiva gave him the Atmalinga but warned him
not to place it on the ground till he reached his destination.
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Upset by the thought that Ravana would become more powerful by worshipping the Atmalinga, the
Gods devised a plan to take it away from Ravana. The Gods knew that Ravana being a pious devotee
of Lord Shiva was punctual in performing the periodical rites every day.
As Ravana approached Gokarna, Lord Vishnu blotted the sun with his Sudharshana Chakra.
Thinking that it was evening, Ravana was in two minds whether to put down the Atmalinga or skip
his evening rites. Just then, Lord Ganesh came to that place in the guise of a brahmin boy. Ravana
called the boy and asked him to hold the linga until he completed his evening rites. The boy agreed
on the condition that he’d keep the linga down if Ravana didn’t return before the boy called out his
name thrice. Ravana agreed and went about his rituals, but by then the boy called out his name thrice
and placed the Atmalinga on the earth, and it got firmly established in the earth.
When Vishnu withdrew his Sudharshan chakra, Ravana saw bright sunlight and understood that he
was tricked by the Gods. He became furious. He came to the Linga and tried to uproot it with all his
might. But the idol did not budge even a liitle. The idol’s shape now looked like a cow’s ear. Hence,
the place is known as Gokarna. [Go means Cow and karna means Ear in sanskrit.] The crest fallen
Ravana was deeply upset and beat the boy on his head. In anger he pulled and threw the case of
linga, which fell 23 miles away at Sajjeshwar. He threw the lid to the south 27 miles away at
Guneshwara in the form of “Vamdev Linga”. He threw the cloth wrapped to the idol to south, 32
miles away at Kanduka hills on shore of sea. It took the form of “Aghora”at Murudeshwar. The
thread winding the idol was flung to south at Dhareshwara, came to known as “Tathpurusha Linga”.
Shiva learnt all this from wind god Vayu. He came on earth along with Parvathi and Ganesha and
visited all these five places and worshipped the linga. He declared that these would be his
Panchakshetras and those who worshipped lingas at those places would be free from all sins and their
wishes would be fulfilled and ultimately reach the abode of Shiva.
The temple itself has been named as per its significance, Murudeshwara refers to Shiva. The
interesting story of the temple has been linked to the ear of Ramayana. As a result of the penance
dedicated to the Atma Linga, Lord Shiva gave the power of invincibility and immortality to Hindu
Gods. Consequently, Ravana, the king of Lanka also tried wooing Lord Shiva by worshipping him so
as to attain invincibility and immortality. When Lord Shiva appears before Ravana after looking at
his devotion, and he asks Ravana to tell him, whatever he wants. Ravana then asks for Goddess
Parvathi and Lord thus gives Parvathi to Ravana.
On the way to Lanka, Narada muni deceits him into believing that the one who was with him was not
Parvathi and the real Parvathi is in Pathala. Consequently, Ravana went to Pathala and married a
king’s daughter who believed was real Parvathi. After knowing that he has been fooled by Naryana,
he again sits to meditate As a result of which Lord Shiva Appears. This time he asked Lord Shiva to
bless him with the sacred Atma Linga and Shiva accepting his demand, gave him the Lingam but
puts a condition before Ravana that if ever this Lingam will be kept on the ground all its powers will
come back to Lord Shiva.
This made Narada realise that with Atma Linga in his hands, Ravana will create havoc on the earth
by obtaining immortality and so he thought of approaching Lord Ganesha for help. While Ravana
was on the way to Lanka, Lord Vishnu planned to remove the effect of the Sun’s light so as to make
it appear as dusk which will compel Ravana to perform his evening rituals and he will have to put the
Linga on the ground. While he was thinking of the curse of Atma Ling, a Brahmin boy approached
him who was actually Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha had taken up the form so that he would put the
Atma Linga on the ground while he goes for the evening rituals. Lord Ganesha’s plan worked and
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when Ravana returned he found the Linga on the ground. This made him furious and he understood
about the plan and out of anger he tried destroying the Lingam. In the process, he threw the case
which was covering the Lingam to Sajjeshwara at a distance of 23 miles while the lid of the case he
threw to Guneshwara and Dhareshwara situated at a distance of about 10-12 km. And the piece of
cloth covering the Atma Lingam he threw to Mrideshwara which was later named Murudeshwara.
