Located in Karnataka, Murudeshwar Temple is situated on the Kanduka Hill which is surrounded by Arabian Sea from three sides. This temple is dedicated to Lord shiva which boast second highest statue of Lord Shiva. There is a gopuram at the entrance with the hight of 123 ft which has 20 floors.
People come here to worship Lord Shiva's Mridesh Linga which is said to be the part of Atma Linga situated at the Mahabaleshwar Temple.
Murudeshwar Temple Timings
Temple opens at 3 AM and closes at 1 PM for two hours after that it reopens at 3 PM and closes at 8 PM on daily basis.
| Day | Timing |
|---|---|
| Monday | 3:00 am – 1:00 pm 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
| Tuesday | 3:00 am – 1:00 pm 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
| Wedesday | 3:00 am – 1:00 pm 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
| Thursday | 3:00 am – 1:00 pm 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
| Friday | 3:00 am – 1:00 pm 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
| Saturday | 3:00 am – 1:00 pm 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
| Sunday | 3:00 am – 1:00 pm 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
However there are particular timings for the puja:
| Timings | Darshan / Pooja |
| 6:00 am to 1:00 pm | Darshan |
| 6:30 am to 7:30 am | Morning Pooja |
| 6:00 am to 12:00 pm | Rudrabhishekam |
| 12:15 pm to 1:00 pm | Afternoon Pooja |
| 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm | Temple Remains Closed |
| 3:00 pm to 8:15 pm | Darshan |
| 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm | Rudrabhishekam |
| 7:15 pm to 8:15 pm | Evening Pooja |
Murudeshwar Temple Story
Murudeshwar Story is same as of Mahabaleshwar Temple of Gokarna. This story is related to Ravana. When on his way back to Lanka after getting Atma linga from Lord Shiva. Ravan halted for the prayer where he saw a kid. He asked that kid to hold the atma linga and not to put that linga on the earth. But that kid who was believed to be Lord Ganesha put the linga on place.
Ravana got all angry when the kid intentionally dropped the Shiva Linga and came back. He started chasing after the kid and his cows. He managed to grab one cow by the ear, and that's how this place got the name Gokarna - go meaning cow and karna meaning ear. Ravana tried really hard to remove the Linga by force, but only some upper parts fell off and temples were built in all those places. There are temples named Surathkal, Dharwad, Gunavant Shivar, Murudeshwar, and Shijeshvar.
Murudeshwar temple is the house of the cloth that covered the atma linga.
Murudeshwar Temple Pooja
1. Rudrabhishekam: In hinduism, Lord Shiva is worshiped as rudra. This prayer is done to purify the atmosphere.
2. Panchamrutha Abhishekam: Panchamruth is holy mixture that consist of milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar. In this Shivling is bathed with the Panchamruth.
3. Panchakajjaya: It is kind of prasadam which is offered to god Shiva. It is made up of coconut, sesame, cardamom, and ghee.
4. Bilvarchana: Leaves of bel patra is offered in this prayer.
5. Chandan Abhishekam: Chandan (Sandalwood paste) is used in this prayer.
6. Bhasmarchane: This prayer is done with bhasm.
7. Ekadasa Rudra: As per Hindu Puranas, Rudra (or Lord Shiva) has eleven forms, including Shiva, Maha Rudra, Eesana, Vijaya Rudra, Shankara, Neelalohita, Bhima, Devadeva, Bhavodbhava, Adityamaka Srirudra, etc.
Murudeshwar Temple Entry Fees
There is no entry fees in the murudeshwar temple, however if you wish to visit the 18th floor of gopuram you need to purchase the tickets. The ticket amount is Rs. 20. Here are the pics you can see how beautiful the statue of Lord Shiva visible from the top.
Also there is hall beneath the statue where you can witness the whole story of the ravana and how Lord Ganesha plays important role in this story. For this also you need to purchase the ticket. Amount is same Rs. 20.
Best Time to visit Murudeshwar Temple
October to March are the best time to visit this temple. There are two festivals that are celebrated here one is Karthik Poornima and other is Mahashivratri. Karthik Poornima is celebrated in November or December and Mahashivratri is celebrated in March. You can plan your visit accordingly.
You can avoid visit in April to July as temprature is very high in this area.
Other Temples to visit in this Area:
1. Mahabaleshwar Temple
2. Maha Gnapati Temple
3. Shri Venkatramana Temple
4. Koti Teertha
Book Hotels in Gokarna - Check Here
Chardhams of India
| Jagannath Puri Odisha | Badrinath |
| Rameshwaram | Dwarkadhish |
Jyotirlingas to visit
| Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga | Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga | Baidyanath Jyotirlinga | Srisailam Mallikarjun Jyotirlinga |
| Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga | Ujjain Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga | Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga | Triambakeshwar Jyotirlinga |
| Somnath Jyotirlinga | Kedarnath Jyotirlinga | Shri Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga | Nageshwar Jyotirlinga |