Major attractions:
Murdeshwar
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 dedicated to Sri
Lokankara, and a 20-storied gopura
is constructed at the temple. The temple authorities have installed a lift that
provides a breath-taking view of the 123-feet Sri Shiva idol from the top of
the Raja gopura. There is also a Rameshwara linga at the bottom of the hill,
where devotees can do seva themselves. A Shaneswar temple has been built next
to the idol of Sri
Akshayaguna. Two life-size elephants in
concrete stand guard at the steps leading to it. The entire temple and temple
complex, including the 237.5-feet-tall Raja Gopura, is one among the tallest,
was constructed to its present form by businessman and philanthropist R. N. Shetty,
who hails from Murdeshwar and whose ancestors served in the temple.
There are statues of Sun Chariot on side of a park, pool,
statues depicting Arjuna receiving Geetopadesham from Lord Krishna, Ravana being deceived by Ganesha in
disguise, Shiva's manifestation as Bhaghirnath, descending Ganga, carved around
the hill.
The temple is entirely modernised with exception of the
sanctum sanctorum which is still dark and retains its composure. The main deity
is Sri Mridesa Linga, also called Murdeshwar. The Linga is believed to be a
piece of the original Atma Linga and is about two feet below ground level. The
devotees performing special sevas like Abhisheka, Rudrabhisheka, Rathotsava
etc., can view the deity by standing before the threshold of the sanctum and
the Linga is illuminated by oil lamps held close by the priests. The Linga is
essentially a rough rock inside a hollowed spot in the ground. Entry into the
sanctum is banned for all devotees.
Statue of Lord Shiva: A huge towering statue of Lord Shiva, visible from great distances, is present in the temple complex. It is the second tallest statue of Lord Shiva in the world. The tallest Lord Shiva statue is in Nepal, known as the (Kailashnath Mahadev Statue). The statue is 123 feet (37 m) in height and took about two years to build. The statue was built by Shivamogga's Kashinath and several other sculptors, financed by businessman and philanthropist Dr. R.N. Shetty, at a cost of approximately Rs 50 million. The idol is designed such that it gets the sunlight directly and thus appears sparkling.
History:
The history of the Murudeshwara Temple in Karnataka dates back to the period of
Ramayana. Legend says that Ravana (the Lanka King), prayed Lord Shiva in a
strong devotion to attain immortality by getting the AtmaLinga. Atma Linga is
the divine Lingam of Shiva that gains immortality to the Hindu Gods. As a
result of the worship by Ravana, Lord Shiva appeared before him and asked him for a boon. Ravana
requested the Atmalinga as his boon. Lord Shiva agreed to give him the boon but
on a condition that the AtmaLinga should never be kept on the ground. It is
believed that if the AtmaLinga was placed on the ground, all the powers would
return to Lord Shiva. Ravana started back on his journey to Lanka with the
AtmaLinga.
However, Sage Narada realized that
Ravana may obtain immortality and create ruin on earth with the AtmaLinga. He
approached Lord Ganesh to help him. When Ravana neared Gokarna, Lord Vishnu blocked Lord Surya, the Sun God and made it as dusk. Ravana wanted
to perform his evening rituals. He was worried because the AtmaLinga was in his
hands and he would not be able to do his rituals.
At that moment, Lord Ganesh came
near him in the mask of a Brahmin boy. Ravana requested him to keep the Atma
Lingam until he performed the rituals. He told the boy not to place it on the
ground. But Lord Ganesh fixed a deal with him. He said he would call Ravana
thrice, and if Ravana did not return, he would place the AtmaLinga on the
ground. As decided, Ravana could not return all of a sudden and Ganesh placed
the Atma-Linga on the ground. The angered Ravana tried to pull up the AtmaLinga
and destroy it but failed. He threw the holder of the linga to a place called
Sajjeshwara which is 23 miles away and the lid of the case to a place called
Gunavanthe (earlier known as Guneshwara) and Dhareshwara, 10-12 miles away. At
last, he threw the cloth covering the Atmalinga to a place called Mrideshwara
in Kanduka Hill (Kanduka - Giri). Mrideshwara is later renamed as Murudeshwara.