Temple Description

The temple is one of the seven sacred Muktikshetras or Muktistalas (“places of salvation”) in Karnataka, where many Hindus come to perform obsequies (death rites) for their departed loved ones. The other six Muktikshetras in Karnataka are located at Udupi, Kollur, Subrahmanya, Kumbasi, Koteshvara, and Sankaranarayana.

Legend has it that the Atmalinga, brought from Mount Kailash in the Himalayas by Ravana, the demon king from the Ramayana, was placed at Gokarna and is now enshrined in the temple. This site is considered one of the holiest for Shiva and is mentioned in several Puranas, as well as in the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The temple’s origins date back to King Mayurasharma of the Kadamba dynasty (reign 345–365 CE). According to legend, Mayurasharma, after being insulted by a guard in Kanchipuram while seeking knowledge of Vedic rites and the Ashwamedha Yagna (ritual of horse sacrifice), vowed to defeat the Pallava dynasty. After his victory, he established a daily yajna to assert his dominance over the region. His son, King Kangavarma, later brought Brahmin families from different lineages to manage the temple.

The classical Sanskrit poet Kalidasa refers to the “Lord of Gokarna” in his 4th-century work, *Raghuvamsha*.

The temple complex largely dates from the Vijayanagara period (1336–1646 CE). A Vijayanagara emperor is said to have visited the temple and weighed himself in gold as an offering.

During the 17th century, under Queen Chennammaji and her son Soma Sekharanayaka of Keladi, Visvesvaraya of Halasunadu-Kundapura constructed the Chandrasala and Nandi pavilions. In 1665, the warrior king Shivaji visited the Mahabaleshwar temple after disbanding his army in Gokarna.

In 1676, the English traveler Fryer visited Gokarna during the Maha Shivaratri festival and wrote a detailed account of his experience at the temple.