Gokarna Mahabaleshwar Temple

Gokarna has an interesting history. Ravana, the king of Lanka performed Tapas (Penance) on top of Kailasa Hill. He pleased Lord Shiva and secured Atmalinga from him. But the condition was that the Atmalinga was never to be put down on earth, or else it can’t be moved any further. Some of the other gods were frightened by the fact that Ravana had Atmalinga in his possession. They approached lord Ganesha to trick and prevent Atmalinga from being taken to Lanka. Ganapathi arrived on earth in disguise of a Brahmin boy and met Ravana. As Ravana went to perform his evening pooja, he requested Ganesha to hold the Atmalinga till pooja rituals were complete. As Ravana entered the sea to take bath, Ganesha dropped Atmalinga to the ground and it got fixed there. Gokarna Mahabaleshwar Temple is built around this.
A maha Ganapathi temple is also built nearby in honour of Lord Ganesha. Gokarna also has a set of beaches, Om beach being the most popular one. It attracts good number of foreign tourists as well. Accommodation for all budget ranges is available here. Gokarna is well connected by public transport. Kumta is nearest railway station.