Introduction
The town of Murudeshwar, which is located in the Uttara Kannada district of the Indian state of Karnataka, is well-known for housing the second-tallest Shiva statue in the world. The town is also well-known for housing the Murudeshwara Temple. On the Mangalore-Mumbai Konkan railway line, the town has a railway station.
In the northwestern Canara district in coastline Karnataka’s Bhatkal Taluk sits the temple town of Murudeshwara. It is situated between the scenic the western ghat and the Arabian Sea on the primary Mangalore-Karwar Highway. Its main draw is a Shiva Temple with Chalukya and Kadamba sculptures constructed in the Dravidian architectural style, alongside its immaculate beach and magnificent Shiva statue. The temple is perched atop a hillside with a stunning view of the ocean. The temple complex is well-known for its tall Shiva statue, the tallest Shiva monument in India at about 37 m high. At 249 feet, the temple gopuram is India’s second-tallest structure.
History of Murudeshwar
The Ramayana time is when the Karnataka temple of Murudeshwara got its start. According to legend, Ravana (the king of Lanka) prayed to Lord Shiva with great devotion in order to get the AtmaLinga to achieve immortality. The Atma Linga is Shiva’s heavenly Lingam, which grants the Hindu Gods immortality. Lord Shiva appeared before Ravana as a result of his worship and pleaded with him for a blessing. The Atmalinga was Ravana’s chosen boon. In exchange for never allowing the AtmaLinga to be on the ground, Lord Shiva promised to grant him the boon. It is thought that all the powers would come back to Lord Shiva if the AtmaLinga were to be set down.Ravana headed again for Lanka.
But Sage Narada understood that with the AtmaLinga, Ravana might become immortal and bring destruction to earth. He asked Lord Ganesh for assistance. Lord Vishnu stopped Lord Surya, the Sun God, as Ravana drew close to Gokarna, turning the day into night. Ravana desired to get out his night rituals. He was concerned since he was holding the AtmaLinga and would be unable to do his rites.
Temple Features
On an isolated hill called Kanduka Giri, bounded by the Arabian Sea on its three sides, stands the Beach Temple of Murudeshwara. At the stairs of the temple, there are two life-size elephants. There is a shrine of Jattiga atop a horse as you ascend the hillock.
The 249-foot-tall Raja Gopura, which has 20 stories, is thought to be the world’s tallest gopura. Behind the temple lies a sizable fort called Murudeshwara Fort, which King Tippu Sultan of Mysore is credited with remodeling.
Numerous statues and carvings in the Murudeshwar Temple are several centuries old. There are a few inscriptions throughout the temple as well.
The Dravidian-styled Chalukya and Kadamba sculptures that may be found in the temple.Outside the Murudeshwar Beach Temple, there is also a Nataraja statue made of bell metal.
Rituals Performed at the Murudeshwara Temple
- Rudrabhishekam: Lord Shiva is revered as Rudra in Hinduism as well. This particular pooja is performed in honor of Lord Shiva and is thought to purify the air.
- Panchamrutha Abhishekam: Defined as a holy Amrit, Panchamrutha is made using a concoction of five liquids, including milk, curd, honey, ghee, and sugar. The Shiv Linga is bathed with the Panchamrutha during this specific puja.
- On behalf of all Lord Shiva’s followers, the temple priests perform the Nanda Deepa Pooja by lighting the Nanda Deepa Stambh with lamps.
- Sarva Deva Pooja: In this pooja, worshippers worship every shrine found within the Murudeshwara Temple, as opposed to the daily pooja, when they typically worship just one God.
Festival celebration in murudeshwar Temple
Mahashivaratri: In February or March, the event takes place. The celebration commemorates Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati’s union. Some people also think that this is the day that Lord Shiva ingested the poison that caused him to turn blue during the mythological drama involving the churning of Amrit. Additionally, devotees observe fasts and sing bhajans all night and into the next day. Numerous thousands of pilgrims travel from all across Karnataka to the temple to seek God’s blessings.
