Courtesy: Prajavani Kannada News Paper

Geography

Ullal( Tulu, Kannada :ಉಲ್ಲಾಳ ) is a panchayat town in Dakshina Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is a small town about 8–10 km south of Mangalore close to the border between the two southern states of Karnataka and Kerala. It comprises two revenue villages Ullal and Parmannur in Mangalore Taluk. Ullal is located adjacent to City Corporation of Mangalore at a distance of 10 KM from District head quarters.

It is very famous for historic locations like Someshwara Temple, Summer Sands Beach Resort and Queen Abbakka's Fort at Ranipura, Seyyad madani dargah.

This quaint little sea town on the shore of Arabian sea was the setting for wide scale sea-erosion that occurred in the late 1990s and early this millennium. The local authorities however have tried to reduce the damage by placing sand bags near the advancing coastline, the benefits of this step are yet to be noted. Adjacent to summer sands beach resort is subhash nagar. The remains of Rani Abbakka's fort can be seen in the vicinity of Someshwara Temple.

This Town is an important trading centre for fish and fish manure. Fishing and Beedi rolling are main occupations of the residents of this town.

History:

Ullal town is one of the oldest towns in India. In 15th century it came under the rules of Portuguese. Still the remains of its glorious history can be seen in the beaches and other parts of Ullal. This place is famous for its historical and beaut values that are matchless.

Ullal Summer Sand Beach:

Ullal Beach is just 5km away from the beautiful city Mangalore. Ullal beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the 320 km stretched of Karnataka. Sea side of Arabian Sea is truly exemplary and is always waving. One can go to the beach easily as is well linked with roads and other transport means.

Ullal Beach in Karnataka is one of the popular beaches of Karnataka where tourists enjoy the scenic beauty of the surroundings, the long stretches of golden beaches and the cool sea breeze.

Ullal has a beautiful beach offering a perfect holiday destination for tourists looking for solitude. The casuarinas groves offer a perfect setting when the sun sets. The beach cottages, the swimming pool and the breezy morning are the perfect setting for one to relax. Tourists spend weekends enjoying a day in the scenic beauty of Ullal Beach in Karnataka.

Ullal Darga:

The Darga of Sayed Mohammed Shereful Madani, who is said to have come to Ullal from Madina 400 years ago is a famous darga in this region. Thousands of people from various states visit the mosque to participate in the Urus festival which is celebrated once in every 5 years.

Someshwara Beach:

It is 9 Kms to the south of Mangalore, and 1/2 Km from the Someshwara Bus stand, this beach is well known for the large rocks called "Rudra Shile". The historical Somanath Temple constructed during the regime of the famous queen Abbakka Devi is situated in the north side.

Photo Gallery:

Ullal Beach



Ulla Darga

Somanatheshwara Beach


Somanatheshwara Temple

Courtesy: Wikipedia

This place is situated in Uttara Kannada District.Moving towards Mangalore from Karwar on the National Highway, you have to take a deviation after 22 kms and proceed 4 kms to reach Belekeri Beach. You will not regret the detour. The vast grass lawn suddenly drops by 50’ to the beach providing a wonderful view of the sea. The land is surrounded by picturesque mountains. Watching sunset in the evening you would never like to leave the place

Nearby places to visit:Katyayani Temple, Aversa (10Kms)

Courtesy: Wikipedia

"The sea beach of Karwar is certainly a fit place in which to realise that beauty of nature is not a mirage of imagination, but reflects the joy of the infinite and thus draws us to lose ourselves into it."

Rabindranath Tagore,1916

Devbagh is a Jungle Lodges Island Resort located in North of Karnataka in Uttara Kannada District just a 2 hour drive from South of Goa off the mainland Karwar.

Devbagh is accessible from Karwar known as a land of converging landscapes. Karwar lies on a thin strip of tropical sand that is bound by the Western Ghats on its eastern side and embraced by the Arabian Sea on the west. On entering Karwar, one immediately comes face to face with the sea dotted with several small islands on the horizon. Distinct amongst them, about 3 kms. away, is Devbagh.

The Devbagh Beach Resort, located on Devbagh beach, has an endless stretch of pristine sands bordered by casuarinas and the blue waters of the Arabian Sea. Devbagh Resort has furnished log huts-on-stilts and a local gazebo called the Gol Ghar, in the midst of a dense casuarina grove.

Tourist Attractions around Karwar

Devbagh is recommended for all beach lovers. At Least 2 nights and 3 days stay is recommended at Devbagh.

Distance: Dandeli : 110 kms, Madgaon : 72 kms, Panjim : 110 kms, Mangalore : 270 kms, Gokarna : 55 kms, Bangalore : 524 kms

Devbagh is visited as a Ex-Bangalore / Ex-Goa Getaway or as a part of Itinerary Covering parts of Goa and Coastal Karnataka.

Photo Gallery:

Courtesy: Wikipedia

Murudeshwara (Kannada: ಮುರುಡೇಶ್ವರ) is a town in the Bhatkal Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India. "Murudeshwara" is another name of the Hindu god Shiva. Famous for the world's tallest Shiva statue, this beach town lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea and is also famous for the Murudeshwara Temple.

Etymology

The origin of the name "Murudeshwara" dates to the time of Ramayana. The Hindu gods attained immortality and invincibility by worshipping a divine lingam called the AtmaLinga. The Lanka king Ravana wanted to attain immortality by obtaining the AtmaLinga. Since the AtmaLinga belonged to Lord Shiva, Ravana worshipped Shiva with devotion. Pleased by his prayers, Lord Shiva appeared before him and asked him what he wanted. By this time Narada had asked Lord Vishnu to change Ravana's mind. As a result of this plot, Ravana asks for Goddess Parvathi, and Lord Shiva offers him. On his way back to Lanka Narada tells Ravana that Lord has not given real Parvathi and that the real Parvathi was in Pathala. So Ravana lets off Parvathi and goes to Pathala and marries a king's daughter thinking that she was Parvathi. When he returns back to Lanka and tells that he had brought Parvathi, his mother then asks for linga. Ravana then comes to know that Vishnu had done all these tricks. Now Ravana goes back and meditates a lot to please Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva appears and Ravana asks for His forgiveness. This time, Ravana requests the AtmaLinga as his boon. Lord Shiva agreed to give him the boon with a condition that it should never be placed on the ground. If the AtmaLinga was ever placed on the ground, all the powers would return to Lord Shiva again. Having obtained his boon, Ravana started back on his journey to Lanka.

Sage Narada, who came to know of this incident, realised that with the AtmaLinga, Ravana may obtain immortality and create havoc on earth. He approached the Lord Ganesh and requested him to prevent the AtmaLinga from reaching Lanka. Lord Ganesh knew that Ravana was a very devoted person who used to perform prayer ritual in the evening every day without fail. He decided to make use of this fact and came up with a plan to confiscate the AtmaLinga from Ravana.

As Ravana was nearing Gokarna, Lord Vishnu blotted the sun to make it look like evening had appeared. Ravana now had to perform his evening rituals but was worried because with the AtmaLinga in his hands, he would not be able to do his rituals. At this time, Lord Ganesh in the disguise of a Brahmin boy came near him. Seeing him, Ravana requested him to hold the AtmaLinga until he performed his rituals, and asked him not to place it on the ground. Ganesh struck a deal with him saying that he would call Ravana thrice, and if Ravana did not return within that time, he would place the AtmaLinga on the ground.

As predicted, before Ravana could return after completing his rituals, Ganesh had already placed the AtmaLinga on the ground. Vishnu then removed his illusion and it was daylight again. Ravana, realising that he had been tricked, got really angry and tried to uproot and destroy it but could not. Then he decided to destroy the covering of the AtmaLinga, and threw the case covering it to a place called Sajjeshwara, 23 miles away. Then he threw the lid of the case to a placed called Guneshwara (now Gunavanthe)and Dhareshwara, 10-12 miles away. Finally, he threw the cloth covering the AtmaLinga to a placed called Mrideshwara in Kanduka-Giri (Kanduka Hill). Mrideshwara has been renamed to Murudeshwara.

Major attractions

• 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.

• Murudeshwara Fort: A fort present behind the temple is said to have been renovated by Tipu Sultan.

Statue of Lord Shiva: A huge towering statue of Lord Shiva, visible from great distances, is present in the temple complex. It is the tallest statue of Shiva in the world.^[1][2] The statue is 123 feet (37 m) in height, and took about 2 years to build. The statue was built by Shivamogga's Kashinath and several other sculptors, financed by businessman and philanthropist Mr R.N. Shetty, at a cost of approximately 50 million Rs. The idol is designed such that it gets the sun light directly and thus appears sparkling.

Getting there

By Road
Murudeshwara lies at a deviation of 1 kilometer from the National Highway NH-17 between the towns of Honnavar and Bhatkal. A big arched entrance on the Highway marks the entrance of the road to Murudeshwara. From Mumbai and Mangalore, one can take the NH-17 to reach Murudeshwara. From Bangalore one can take the NH-206 to reach Honnavar and then take NH-17 to reach Murudeshwara. Total distance from Bangalore to Murudeshwara works out to be 455 km.

By Rail
Murudeshwara station lies on the Konkan Railway. Some trains from Mumbai and Mangalore stop here. There are no direct trains from Bangalore. Alternatively, one can alight at Bhatkal station.

By Air
Nearest airport is Mangalore International Airport, 165 km away. Hubli and Panaji airports are other alternatives.

Photo Gallery:

Main Temple

Raja Gopura

Lord Shiva Statue

Courtesy: Wikipedia

Gokarna (Kannada: ಗೋಕರ್ಣ) is a village in the Uttara Kannada district of the Karnataka state, India. It is a Hindu pilgrimage centre as well as a tourist destination in India. Gokarna is a temple town and is referred to in a number of Hindu historical literature pieces. Around the town lie a number of beaches and these serve as a major attraction for travellers.

Etymology

Gokarna means Cow's Ear. It is believed that Lord Shiva emerged from the ear of a cow (Prithvi, the Mother Earth) here. It is also located at the ear-shaped confluence of two rivers Gangavali and Aghanashini.

Mythology

Legends in the Sahyadri Khand of the Puranas indicate that the State of Kerala was reclaimed from the sea by the Warrior-Sage Parashurama who came from the North (of the Vindhya ranges) after his wanderings, in which he killed the Kshatriyas 21 times and threw his axe, the weapon by which he annihilated the Kshatriyas, into the sea, to prevent the erosion of the land stretching from Gokarna to the Southernmost tip of India.

Gokarna is also mentioned in the Shrimad Bhagawat Purana as being the home of the two brothers Gokarna and Dhundhakari and the Bhagawat also gives details of the differences in their temperament, nature and exploits.

Another mythological reference to Gokarna describes how Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka, received the atmalinga from Shiva after he had performed a penance at Mount Kailash. Shiva instructed Ravana that the atmalinga should not be placed on the ground as it would establish itself where placed on earth. On his way back to Lanka, Ravana stops for his evening prayers at Gokarna. To prevent Ravana from getting a weapon as powerful as the atmalinga, Ganesha, in the disguise of a Brahmin boy, tells Ravana that he will hold the atmalinga until Ravana finishes his prayers. As soon as he receives the atmalinga, Ganesh promptly puts it down. Ravana tries to extricate it, resulting in throwing the coverings of the Linga to Dhareshwar, Gunavanteshwar, Murudeshwar and Shejjeshwar temples.^[1]

Tamil saints Nayanars like Appar and sambanthar praised the deity in their hymns tevaram

History

The earliest history of the city is not known. It is an established fact that Mayurvarma of the Kadamba kings brought Brahmins from Ahicchatra, now in Bihar. It was a center for India's traditional and ancient Ganja Culture.^{[citation needed]} A sect of Brahmins fled from the Gomantak to escape forcible conversions by the Portuguese and British and settled in and around Gokarna in the 15th century. It was part of the Sodhe and Vijayanagar kingdoms. Later, when the Konkan region - including Goa - was occupied by the Portuguese, it became part of their rule. A few temples were destroyed by the Portuguese in 1714 and then rebuilt later in the 18th century and also under the supervision of Guru H. H. Shrimat Anandashram Swamiji in 1928.

Culture

Gokarna is a town of contrasts, as it is a temple town and also a holiday destination by the sea. Gokarna is full of coconut and palm trees, blue seas and clean sands. It is an attractive town with two main streets having shops and traditional tile-roofed brick houses. Gokarna is a hippy paradise with drums, guitars and hammocks. The beaches near Gokarna have shacks (huts) for rent.

Religious attractions

Gokarna is also an important centre of Sanskrit learning and houses Bhandikeri Math and Toggu Math. It is a place where Sanksrit knowledge is passed down from generations in Brahmin families. Many Hindus also perform the last rites of a person here.

• Mahabaleshwar Temple (Maha: great, bal: strength) is a famous Shiva Temple and it houses the atmalinga. Named so after Ravana referred to the linga's great strength. Till the government handed over the temple to a public trust, all the public of Gokarna - supposed to be the office bearers of the temple - were managing the temple.^[2]

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. In the sanctuary is a stone linga, encased in brass, placed on a coiled stone serpent. The floor of the hall in front has an intricate engraving of a giant tortoise.

• Maha Ganapathi Temple built in honour of the boy Ganapathi, who deceived the demon Ravana.
• Uma Maheshwari Temple
• Bhadrakali Temple
• Varadaraj Temple
• Tamra-Gauri Temple
• Venkataramana Temple
• Kotitheertha is a man-made tank that is used for immersion of idols and ritual bathing. It is surrounded by temples.
• Shivaratri festival is celebrated here with great enthusiasm. Each year, a team builds up two great temple chariots which are used during the Shivaratri 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 Shivaratri festival, the small town of Gokarna is visited by up to 20,000 pilgrims.

This year (2009) 350000 people visited Gokarna on Mahasivarathri

Community festivals

• Mahashivaratri

Beaches

The drive up the winding path that leads to Gokarna is scenic, with the rocky mountains and Western Ghats on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other.

Gokarna is also famous for its beautiful beaches and landscapes. The main beaches in Gokarna are the Gokarna beach, Kudle Beach, Om Beach, Half moon Beach and Paradise Beach (also known as Full moon). The Gokarna beach forms the coast of the town while the other four beaches lie to the south of Gokarna. Kudle and Om are around 6 km from Gokarna town along a muddy hill; they are accessible by rickshaw or foot. Half moon and Paradise are beyond Om beach and are accessible only by foot or boat. Om beach is named so because it is shaped like the auspicious ॐ [Om] symbol. Om beach is the only naturally Om shaped beach. Two other beaches - Paradise and Half Moon - are smaller and remote beaches.

Location

Gokarna is about 453 km from Bengalooru, 240 km north of Mangalooru and about 59 km from Karwar. It is between the Gangavali and Agnashini rivers and situated along the Karwar coast by the Arabian Sea. It is near the college towns Suratkal and Manipal.

Gokarna can be reached by buses and maxicabs from Kumta (36 km), Ankola (25km) and Karwar (59km) on National Highway 17( NH-17 ). Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) also runs long-journey buses from many cities like Goa, Bengalooru and Mangalooru. Private buses (Vijayanand Roadlines - VRL, Sugama, Sea Bird, etc.) operate night journeys from the capital city of Bengalooru to Gokarna daily. It can be reached by train Konkan Railway on the Mumbai to Mangalooru route. The railway station is 6km away from the town.

Neighboring villages

• Bankikodla-Hanehalli
• Bidrageri
• Talgeri
• Sanekatta
• Tadadi
• Torke
• Madangere

Photo Gallery:

Lord Mahabaleshwara Temple

Kotiteertha

Om Beach

Om Beach

Beach

Courtesy: Wikipedia