“Home to the second tallest statue of Lord Shiva in the world”.
Where is Murdeshwar?
The town of Murdeshwar is famous for the world’s second tallest Shiva statue. On the coast of the Arabian Sea in the state of Karnataka. It is also famed for the Murdeshwar Temple.
Getting there
Our journey from Gokarna to Murdeshwar was by local buses.
Our accommodation
Murdeshwar is not really much of an international tourist town. Accommodation, whilst plentiful, is cheap and basic. We had not pre-booked any accommodation and we stayed in a very basic unlisted guest house close to the seafront.
Places of interest
Statue of Lord Shiva
The second tallest statue of Lord Shiva in the world. The tallest being in Nepal. The statue is 123 feet high and took about two years to build. The idol is designed such that when it is in direct sunlight it appears to sparkle.
Murdeshwar Temple and Raja Gopura
This temple complex is built on Kanduka Hill. Surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Arabian Sea. Dedicated to Sri Lokankara. The 20-storey Raja Gopura is constructed within the complex.
A lift takes you to the top of the Raja Gopura, from where there are commanding views of the Lord Shiva statue and the surrounding area. The temple complex has many temples and is busy with a constant flow of visitors.
With the exception of the Statue and temple, Murdeshwar doesn’t have anything else to offer. When we visited, the late afternoon sun brought people visiting the temple complex out onto the beach. In fact, there were about 20 coaches parked on the beach. Making it look like an Indian version of a day trip to Margate!
