16 km from Bhatkal, Murudeshwara is a sacred spot for
Hindus with Murudeshwara Temple as its highlight. The picture-perfect
beauty of the place appeals as much to the casual tourists as to the
devotees who come tom pay homage to the deity. It is said that the
elaborately carved temple atop the small hillock of Kanduka Giri with
fine sculptures to boast of enshrines a piece of the Pranalinga of
Mahabaleshwara that was thrown by Ravana, the mighty demon-king and
devout worshipper of Lord Shiva. The scenery surrounding the place
consists of splashing playful sea waves in the west, lush green hills
that provides a wonderful backdrop to the temple in the east and swaying
coconut and areca trees that makes it an ideal picnic spot. Some of the
old-fashioned rituals that one would like to witness here are Bhuta
(spirit) worship, Kambala (buffalo race) and Korikatta (cock fight).Besides this attractive temple, blue seas and dancing trees, this beach also offers the native delicacies of coastal Karnataka including the delicious coconut sweets, spicy fish curries, a number of rice preparations, juicy fruits such as mangoes, jackfruit, cashew nuts and bananas. The centuries-old temple has two life-size concrete elephants guarding its steps. While one treks to the temple there is another smaller shrine of Jattiga seated on a horse on the way. One can also pay a visit to the massive fort behind the temple is said to be renovated by the legendary warrior-prince, Tippu Sultan of Mysore, while exploring the beach. In case, you decide to elongate your visit to the beach a bit, you may stay in the temple cottages too.
