Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam | 267th Shiva Sthalams(One of the Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam) |
Region | Dhuluva Naadu |
Dhuluva Naadu | 1st Shiva Sthalam |
Pathigam | - |
HISTORY:
The Mahabaleshwar
Temple, Gokarna is a 4th-century CE Hindu temple located
in Gokarna, UttaraKannada district, Karnataka state, India which is built in the classical Dravidian
architectural style. It is a
site of religious
pilgrimage. The temple faces
the Karwar city
beach on the Arabian Sea in which Hindu pilgrims cleanse before visiting the temple
for worship. The temple is considered as holy as the Shiva temple at Varanasi or Kāśi (Kashi) in North India on
the banks of the Ganges River.
Hence, the Mahabaleshwar temple, Gokarna is known as the Dakshin
Kasi ("Kasi of the south"). The temple deifies the Pranalinga ("the
reality of God which can be captured by the mind") also
called Atmalinga or Shiva Linga In legend,
it is said that the deity of the temple will bestow immense blessings to
devotees, even to those who only glimpse it. Currently the administrative
charge of the temple is with Sri Ramachandrapura Mutt, as per the guidance of
Adiguru Shankaracharya during the establishment of
the Matha.
The
temple is one of the seven
sacred Muktikshetras or Muktistala ("places of
salvation") in Karnataka. It is a place where many Hindus of Karnataka
perform obsequies (death rites) for their departed. The six other Muktikshetras
in Karnataka are at Udupi, Kollur, Subrahmanya, Kumbasi,
Koteshvara and Sankaranarayana. The temple's first construction was by the
king Mayurasharma of the Kadamba
dynasty (reign 345 CE – 365 CE).
The
temple is located on the shores of Arabian Sea on
the west coast of India, near the city of Karwar. It is set
in a lush, green environment in the holy town of Gokarna (also spelt
"Gokarn") in Uttara Kannada (or North Kannada
district). Gokarna lies between
the Gangavalli and Aganashini rivers.
Ravana:
The
hoary legend of the temple as narrated, links Ravana of the Ramayana, the
demon king of Lanka, not only to the Shiva Linga deified in the Mahabaleshwar
Temple but also to Gokarna's Bhadra Kali temple. The legend also provides
etymology of the place name, "Gokarna".
Ravana's
mother, a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva, was worshipping a Shiva Linga to bring
prosperity to her son. Indra, the Lord of Heaven, who was jealous of this worship,
stole the Shiva Linga and threw it away into the Sea. The distraught mother of
Ravana went on a hunger strike as her devotional worship of Shiva was
disrupted.
Ravana
then promised his mother that he would go to Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord
Shiva, and bring the main Atmalinga itself for her worship. Ravana
then performed severe penance at Mount Kailash to please Lord Shiva and also
sang, in his melodious voice, praises of Shiva (Shiva Tandava
Stotram). He even chopped his
own head, and made a harp with threads drawn from his skin and intestine.Lord
Shiva was please he 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 Parvati, and Lord Shiva offers "fake Parvati"
to him. On his way back to Lanka Narada tells Ravana that Lord had not given
him the real Parvathi and that the real Parvathi was in Pathala. So Ravana
frees his companion, goes to Pathala and marries a king's
daughter,"mandodri". Ravana returned to Lanka, where his mother asked
him for the Atma-Linga. Ravana realised the tricks played on him by Lord
Vishnu. He therefore prayed to Lord Shiva again, begging for his forgiveness.
Lord Shiva appeared and this time, Ravana requests the Atma-Linga as his boon.
Lord Shiva agrees to give him the boon with a condition that it should never be
placed on the ground. If the Atma-Linga was ever placed on the ground, it would
remain rooted at that spot. Having obtained his boon, Ravana started back on
his journey to Lanka
As
Ravana was nearing Gokarna, Lord Vishnu blotted out the sun to give the
appearance of dusk. Ravana now had to perform his evening rituals but was
worried because with the Atma-Linga in his hands, he would not be able to do
it. At this time, Lord Ganesha in the disguise of a Brahmin boy accosted him.
Ravana requested him to hold the Atma-Linga 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 Atma-Linga on the ground.
Ganesha
called out thrice rapidly but Ravana couldn't come within the specified time.Even
before Ravana could return, Lord Ganesha placed the Atmalinga on the ground,
tricked Ravana and vanished from the scene with his cows. Ravana then chased
the only cow, which was going underground.
However,
he managed to get hold of the cow's ear, as the rest of cow's body had
disappeared below ground. It is this ear now seen in a petrified form, which
has given the name "Gokarna" to the place. The word
"Gokarna" means "cow's ear" where in
Sanskrit gow means "cow" and karna means
"ear".
Then,
Ravana tried hard to lift the Shiv Linga but failed as it was firmly fixed.
Ravana had even fainted; thereafter he gave the name "Mahabaleshwar"
(meaning all-powerful) to the Atmalinga. Thus, according to the
legend narrated, the place now boasts of three divine entities namely: Gokarna,
the cow's ear; the Atmalinga or Shiva Linga that is deified in the
Mahabaleshwar Temple; and the Goddess Bhadrakali, which are all now divine
places of worship integral to Gokarna.
Atmalinga:
The Atmalinga was
perforce placed at Gokarna, in the temple precincts where it is now deified. It
was Ravana,
the demon King of Lanka, known from the epic, Ravana had
carried it there from Mount Kailash in
the Himalayas.
Mayurasharma:
Mayurasharma
wished to learn of the Vedic rites and the Ashwamedha
Yagna (ritual of horse sacrifice). He travelled to Kanchipuram,
a major religious learning centre, but there, he was insulted by a horseman
guard. He was angered and swore to defeat the ruling Pallava dynasty.
Following
his defeat of the Pallavas, the king asked some priests to perform a
daily yajna to
maintain his suzerainty over the region. Mayurasharma's son,
King Kangavarma brought Brahmin families
from different lineages to maintain administration at the temple.
Lord of Gokarna:
The classical Sanskrit writer, Kalidasa mentions
the "Lord of Gokarna" in his 4th century work, Raghuvamsha.
The Gokarna temple is recorded as one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams in the 7th
century Tevaram canon
of devotional poetry.
Vijayanagara emperor:
The temple is a large complex of shrines and much of it belongs to the later Vijayanagara period (1336–1646 CE). A Vijayanagara emperor once visited the temple and weighed himself in gold.
Queen
Chennammaji:
During
the 17th century reign of Queen Chennammaji and
her son, Soma Sekharanayaka of Keladi,
Visvesvaraya of Halasunadu-Kundapura built the Chandrasala and Nandi pavilions.
In 1665, the warrior king, Shivaji (1630 CE - 1680 CE) worshipped at the
Mahabaleshwar temple after disbanding his army in Gokarna.
English traveller:
In
1676, Fryer, an English traveller,
visited Gokarna during the Maha
Shivaratri festival and wrote in detail about it at the temple.
Rath Yatra:
During
the festival, a Rath Yatra (a procession in a large wooden chariot)
is held. Images of Shiva and other deities are installed in a chariot which is
ceremoniously pulled through the town by the devotees, accompanied by drum
bands. The Ratha Yatra starts from the Shri Maha Ganapati temple at the
terminus of the main market street, also known as "Car Street".
Sri Maha Ganapathi temple:
In
legend, the Sri Maha Ganapathi temple was built in honour of the boy Ganesha. Ganesha
deceived the demon Ravana and saved the Atmalinga that is now
installed in the Mahabaleshwar temple. Within the temple is a granite image of
Ganesha.
The
image is 5 feet (1.5 m) tall and two-handed; at the top of its head there
is hole that is said to be a mark of a violent blow inflicted by Ravana. The
temple has its own identity and is also known as "Sidda Ganapati".
Gogarbha:
In
legend, the Atmalinga that vanished in the form
of gov (cow) made a cave in a nearby hill. It is called
"Gogarbha" meaning "the woumb of cow". The cave is visited
by sadhus and
used as a resting place. Folklore suggests that sadhus enter Gogarbha and reach
the holy city of Kashi (Old Varanasi),
a final visiting place for pilgrims.
The Temple of Bharat:
The ruins of this temple remain on a hillock near the Mahabaleshwar temple. Its deity was stolen. It is notable because it is situated well above the temple of Rama with a ramateertha.[clarification needed]
Kotitheertha:
Kotitheertha
is a man-made pond, which is used for the immersion of idols and ritual
bathing. It is surrounded by temples and has a small platform in the
centre. Devotees usually take bath in the pond before they visit the
Mahabaleshwar Temple for worship.
SALIENT
FEATURE:
·
The temple is
built of granite in the Dravidian architectural style.
·
The Atmalinga is
enshrined in the temple on a square Saligrama Peetha (pedestal).
·
The pedestal has
a small hole at its centre from where devotees can see the top of the Atmalinga.
·
The deity, a
carved stone image of Lord Shiva, is seen in a standing position with two arms.
·
The stone image
is said to be 1500 years old.
·
Foreigners,
including practicing Hindus of non-Indian (Western) origin are not allowed to
enter the sanctum-sanctorum and see the Shivalinga.
TEMPLE INFORMATION:
|
Moolavar |
Sri
Paasupatheswarar |
|
Ambal |
Sri
Nalla Nayaki, Sri Sargunambal |
|
Theertham |
Krupa
Kadaksha Theertham |
|
Sthala
Vriksham |
Bamboo
tree |
BELIEF:
The
religious practices observed by most devotees, who are accompanied by their
priests, consist of shaving their head, fasting and then taking a bath in the Arabian
Sea, opposite the temple. They then pay obeisance to Lord Ganesha (the
elephant headed god) deified in the Shri Maha Ganapathi temple, which is a few
yards away from the Mahabaleshwar temple.
After observing these religious procedures, devotees visit the main shrine of Mahabaleshwar for the Darśana (the auspicious sight of a deity). The idol is placed inside a pit on the floor. The devotees can touch the idol and do the puja by themselves. This is in contrary to other temples where the devotees are neither allowed to touch the idol nor do puja.
TEMPLE
FESTIVAL:
|
Tamil Month |
English Month |
Festival Name |
|
Avani |
Aug-Sept |
Vinayakar
Chaturthi |
|
Maasi |
Feb-Mar |
Maha Shivrathri |
HOW
TO REACH:
National Highway
17 (NH17), a coastal
highway on the Western Ghats (from Mangalore to Mumbai),
passes close to Gokarna. The town is 56 kilometres (35 mi) from Karwar, 252
kilometres (157 mi) from Mangalore,
145 kilometres (90 mi) from Hubli, and 450
kilometres (280 mi) from Bangalore.
The nearest airport is at Panaji, Goa, 155 kilometres (96 mi) away.
TEMPLE
ADDRESS:
Sri Mahabaleshwar
temple,
Koti Teertha Road,
Kotiteertha,
Gokarna,
Uttara Kannada,
Karnataka – 581326.
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