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 flavor, the whole temple has been transformed in the contemporary style. The contemporary temple had been built by R.N Shetty, a philanthropist and businessman.

Murudeshwar has assumed national and even international fame for its magnificent Shiva temple. This is dedicated to Shiva and the idol is regarded as the second tallest of Shiva in the world, with the tallest being in Nepal. This holy place of worship is also situated in a picturesque location right on the seashore and falls in the southern state of Karnataka. Murudeshwar falls on the Konkan railway route that runs between Mumbai and Mangaluru.

The quaint town of Murudeshwar is in the Bhatkal Taluk of the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. It lies right on the coast of the Arabian Sea, which borders three sides of the temple, along the western coast of peninsular India.

1. The Legend of Murudeshwar

Before visiting the Murudeshwar mandir in Karnataka, it’s important to know this legend from the time of Ramayana. This was the time when gods and goddesses were known for attaining immortality and invincibility by worshipping a divine and sacred linga called Atma-Ling. The name translates to the “Soul of Shiva”. However, it wasn’t only gods and goddesses that wanted to attain immortality and invincibility. One other person had his eye on the Atma-Linga, and that person, or rather Asur, was Ravana from the kingdom of Lanka.

1. 1 Ravana’s fancy

Ravana, as we know from Ramayana, was a devout Shiva follower. It was his worship to the destroyer of the worlds that made Ravana earn his name of Dashanan, the man with the wisdom of 10 people. But wisdom wasn’t the only thing he earned from Lord Shiva. Because he worshipped Lord Shiva devoutly, the lord appeared in front of him and told Ravana that he was impressed by his devotion and would give Ravana any boon that he would ask. Ravana asked for the one thing he had his eye on – the Atma-Linga. Lord Shiva did not hesitate for a second before giving the linga to him. But Shiva gave Ravana the Atma-Linga on the condition that he will not place the linga on the ground until he reached Lanka. If Ravana did place the linga on the ground, even by accident, the linga will become immovable. Ravana agreed to the condition. As soon as he got the Atma-linga, he set out for his home.

1.2 The Distraction

As Ravana was heading home with the Atma-Linga in his hands, Lord Vishnu got to know about it. Knowing well that Ravana would become unstoppable and would wreak havoc on everyone if he manages to take the Atma-linga home, Lord Vishnu planned to trick Ravana to place the linga on the ground. Vishnu took the help of Ganesha, Shiva’s son for this task.

What Vishnu knew about Ravana is that he prayed to Shiva every evening. As Ravana was nearing Gokarna, Vishnu blotted the sun to make it seem like dusk. Ravana being a devout follower of Shiva had to perform this daily ritual. He reached a point of confusion where he could not decide how to perform the ritual, for doing it would mean placing the atma-linga on the ground. Just then, Ganesha appeared in front of Ravana disguised as a young boy. Ravana asked the young boy to hold the stone while he prayed. He made the boy promise that he would not, at any cost, place the linga on the ground. Ganesha as a boy promised that he won’t, and if there was an emergency, he would call Ravana 3 times. If Ravana didn’t answer the call, he would leave the linga on the ground and leave. But as Ravana went to perform his prayer, and soon returned, he found that the boy had placed the linga on the ground.

1.3 The Aftermath

Vishnu slowly removed the illusion to reveal to Ravana that it was still daytime. Ravana became furious realising that he had been tricked. Then he tried to lift the atma-linga by sheer brute force. Ravana put in all his energy into lifting the atma-linga that he ended up breaking it. The atma-linga broke into many pieces that were scattered around. The head of the linga is said to have fallen in Surathkal. The popular Sadashiva temple is built around the head of this linga. Second, Ravana tried to destroy the covering of the Atma-linga and threw away the case covering, which fell 37 km away in Sajjeshwar. He also threw away the lead of casing which fell in Guneshwar, now called Gunavanthe, and Dhareshwar, about 16 kms away. The last piece, which was the cloth covering the linga, he threw on Kanduka Giri (also known as Kanduka Hill) in Mrideshwar. The name Mrideshwar has now become Murudeshwar. And here is where Murudeshwar Shiva himself resides in the Murudeshwar Mandir, one of the most famous Shiva temples in India.

Architecture of Murudeshwar Temple

Murudeshwar is one of the forms of Shiva. While the Murudeshwar temple boasts of the world’s second-tallest Shiva idol, it is also equally well-known for its imposing Raja Gopuram, its main tower. The temple complex, as such stands majestically on the Kanduka hills and is surrounded on all the three sides by the Arabian Sea. It offers a breathtaking view. Shiva, whose idol is 123 feet tall, is seen here with four hands and seated in Padmasana posture.

The massive spire, the Gopuram at the entrance, is twenty-storied and towers to a height of 237.5 feet, and the life-size statues of two elephants stand guarding the tower in front, adding to its magnificence. One can go up the tower with the help of the lift installed therein and enjoy an awe-inspiring view of the Shiva idol with the Arabian Sea forming its natural backdrop.

The main deity of the temple is a Linga and is called Sri Mridesa Linga or as Murudeshwar. He is found in the sanctum as a rough rock, settled inside a hollowed space in the ground. Regarded as a piece of the original and sacred Atma Linga, this can be found at about two feet below the ground level. The deity is generally viewed in the light provided by the oil lamps lit by the priests, and the devotees can have his darshan from the entrance of the sanctum. This main shrine is still retained in its traditional form and hence remains dark, while all other parts of the temple, as such, are modernized.

The temple is also full of intricate and exquisite carvings that add to the majesty and appeal of this religious structure. The temple is mainly built of granite.

Further, the Rameshwara Linga can be worshipped at the bottom of the hill. A Shaneeshwar temple has also been built there. There are also statues depicting the Sun Chariot, Geetha Upadesham of Krishna, Ravana handing over Atma Linga to Ganesha, and Ganga descending on earth, all around the complex, which has a park and pool too.

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.

Festivals Celebrated at Murudeshwar Temple

The temple celebrates the festival of Maha Shivaratri that falls in the months of February-March and Kartik Poornima that falls in the months of November-December with fervor and zeal.