Guneshwara Temple:
Gunavanthe is a village in Honnavar Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India. "Guneshwara" is another name of the Hindu god Shiva. Gunavante village is famous for the Gunavantheswara Temple and Yakshagana . The nearest airport to Gunvante is Mangalore International Airport at distance of 170 KM, Hubli Airport at distance of 184Km, Goa International Airport Airport Rd Dabolim, Goa at distance of194KM.
Nearest Railway Station is Manki or Murudeshwar railway station on Konkan railway route.
Trains from Bangalore:
Yesvantpur - Karwar Express (Stops at Murdeswar)
Trains from Goa:
Madgaon – Mangalore Passenger (Stops at Manki)
Flights:
Bangalore (BLR) to Hubli (HBX) (1 Flight every day)
Bangalore (BLR) to Mangalore (IXE) (4 flights everyday)
Etymology and legend
The origin of the name "Guneswara/Gunavantheshwara" dates to the time of Ramayana.
The Lanka King Ravanawanted to attain immortality by obtaining the Atma-Linga (Soul of Shiva). Since theAtma-Linga belonged to Lord Shiva, Ravana worshipped Shiva with devotion. Pleased by his prayers, Lord Shiva 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 her 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, assuming her to be the real Parvathi. He then returns to Lanka, where his mother asks him for the Linga. Ravana then comes to know of the tricks played on him by Lord Vishnu. He therefore prays to Lord Shiva again, begging for his forgiveness. Lord Shiva appears and this time, Ravana requests the AtmaLinga as his boon. Lord Shiva agrees to give him the boon with the condition that it should never be placed on the ground. If the AtmaLinga was ever placed on the ground, all the powers would return to Lord Shiva again. Having obtained his boon, Ravana started back on his journey to Lanka.
Sage Narada, who came to know of this incident, realised that with the AtmaLinga, Ravana may obtain immortality and create havoc on earth. He approached the Lord Ganesh and requested him to prevent the AtmaLinga from reaching Lanka. Lord Ganesh knew that Ravana was a very devoted person who used to perform prayer ritual in the evening every day without fail. He decided to make use of this fact and came up with a plan to confiscate the AtmaLinga from Ravana.
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 theAtmaLinga in his hands, he would not be able to do his rituals. At this time, Lord Ganesh in the disguise of a Brahmin boy accosted him. Ravana requested him to hold the AtmaLinga 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 AtmaLinga on the ground.
As predicted, before Ravana could return after completing his rituals, Ganesh had already placed the AtmaLinga on the ground. Vishnu then removed his illusion and it was daylight again. Ravana, realising that he tried to uproot and destroy it. Due to the force exerted by Ravana, some pieces were scattered. One such piece from the head of the linga is said to have fallen in present day Surathkal. The famous Sadashiva temple is said to be built around that piece of linga. Then he decided to destroy the covering of the AtmaLinga, and threw the case covering it to a place called Sajjeshwara. Then he threw the lid of the case to a place called Guneshwara (now Gunavanthe) and Dhareshwara, 10–12 miles away. Finally, he threw the cloth covering the AtmaLinga to a place called Mrideshwara in Kanduka-Giri (Kanduka Hill). Mrideshwara has been renamed to Murudeshwar.
Nearest Places:
Mugali Beach:
2.5 KM from Gunavanthe. Mugali is a small hamlet coming under village Gunavante of Honnavar taluka. The village has a beautiful rocky seashore (Arabian sea). The rocky shore is interrupted by sandy beaches here and there. This beach is very clean and beautiful with coconut orchard. Good season for the visitors is during December to March. Later onwards the sea become rough (with bigger waves) which is not safe to get in to it. The rocky shore is a heaven for fishing (with hook and line)especially during mid August to mid October. Fishes like mullets, rock codes, perches (Lutzanus spp.) are caught.
Idagunji:
4 km From Gunavanthe Temple. 15 Kms from Honnavar and around 23 kms from Murdeswar is the ancient Idagunji Ganapati Temple. One has to take a detour from National Highway and travel around 7 kms interior to reach this beautiful temple. The temple is said to be around 800 years old, one of the oldest temples in Uttar Kannada district.
Apsara Konda, Honnavar.
5KM from Gunavanthe. 8 Kms from Honnavar, near the confluence of the Sharavathi river and the Sea, there a small water fall and a pool on a hillock, called Apsara Konda. Legend says that the Apsaras (Heavenly fairies) used to come here to bathe and relax. The place truly exudes heavenly beauty. There is Devi temple and a branch of Ramachandra mutt. There are several big caves on the hillock called ‘Pandavas caves’.With a view of the river, the sea, lthe islands, l;the lush green fields and coconut groves, the Apsarkonda hillock verily offers a feast to the eyes that see.
Murdeshwar
10KM from Gunavanthe. 16 Kms from Bhatkal to the north on Honnavar-Bhatkal NH 17. The famous Mahtobara Temple can today boast of the tallest Shiva statue in the world. The statue has special reflecting eyes, which makes statue alive. The temple on the beach itself attracts a large number of tourists because of the sea shore ambience
Nearby places to visit: Netrani Island. 18 Kms from Bhatkal south of Murdeswar.
Connectivity: 16 Kms from Bhatkal on NH
Basavaraja Durga Island
The Island of Basavaraja Durga is about a km from main land off Honnavar. You can reach the island through boats and small coasters. The landing place is at the south end where there is a ruined fort with eight mounted guns. The fort was built by Great Shivappa Naik of Bednur (1648-1670). The island is mostly level and has plenty of fresh water.
Karikannamma Temple
12 Kms from Honnavar is the Karikannamma Hill. Atop the hill which is a piece of natural beauty and offers panoramic view of the surroundings, is the temple of the deity. This deity is worshipped as different goddess by different people as Durge, Saraswati and Bhairavi. Sunset view on the Arabian sea is a enthralling sight.
Higund Island
Higund is a beautiful island in River Sharavati just before it joins the Arabian Sea. 3 kms from Honnavar – Bangalore National Highway brings you along this island. Presently the approach is from either Adkar village or Kodani village through country boat. The sunset view from this island is a lifetime experience.
Gerusoppa / Nagara bastikeri
Situated on bank of river Sharavati the old town of Gerusoppa also called NAGAR BASTIKERI is rich with historical monuments, the Chaturmukha basti being the most prominent one. It is a beautiful structure built in Vijayanagar style withChaturasara plan. It has four entrances from four directions leading to garbhagrihas. There are four images of Tirthankaras, Vrishabha, Ajita, Sambhava and Abhinandan, seated in padmasana. One of this has been of late damaged. The engravings in this basti of dwarapalas and other mural desigtns are well executed with refinement.
Gerusoppa Valley / Reservoir
Newly constructed Gerusoppa dam has created a unique reservoir in gerusoppa valley. The breath taking view of the valley can be had from atop a observation tower constructed by Forest dept, about 10 kms from Gerusoppa towards Jogfalls. Boat cruise in the reservoir through the valley is on the anvil.
Where to stay at Honavar/Murdewashwar/Bhatkal:
Shambhulingeshwara Temple, Gunavante
Edapally - Panvel Hwy, Gunavante, Karnataka 581348
Phone: 9742772771 (Temple office)
Temple Timings: 5AM to 1PM; 4PM to 8PM
Gunavanthe is a village in Honnavar Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India. "Guneshwara" is another name of the Hindu god Shiva. Gunavante village is famous for the Gunavantheswara Temple and Yakshagana . The nearest airport to Gunvante is Mangalore International Airport at distance of 170 KM, Hubli Airport at distance of 184Km, Goa International Airport Airport Rd Dabolim, Goa at distance of194KM.
Nearest Railway Station is Manki or Murudeshwar railway station on Konkan railway route.
Trains from Bangalore:
Yesvantpur - Karwar Express (Stops at Murdeswar)
Trains from Goa:
Madgaon – Mangalore Passenger (Stops at Manki)
Flights:
Bangalore (BLR) to Hubli (HBX) (1 Flight every day)
Bangalore (BLR) to Mangalore (IXE) (4 flights everyday)
Etymology and legend
The origin of the name "Guneswara/Gunavantheshwara" dates to the time of Ramayana.
The Lanka King Ravanawanted to attain immortality by obtaining the Atma-Linga (Soul of Shiva). Since theAtma-Linga belonged to Lord Shiva, Ravana worshipped Shiva with devotion. Pleased by his prayers, Lord Shiva 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 her 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, assuming her to be the real Parvathi. He then returns to Lanka, where his mother asks him for the Linga. Ravana then comes to know of the tricks played on him by Lord Vishnu. He therefore prays to Lord Shiva again, begging for his forgiveness. Lord Shiva appears and this time, Ravana requests the AtmaLinga as his boon. Lord Shiva agrees to give him the boon with the condition that it should never be placed on the ground. If the AtmaLinga was ever placed on the ground, all the powers would return to Lord Shiva again. Having obtained his boon, Ravana started back on his journey to Lanka.
Sage Narada, who came to know of this incident, realised that with the AtmaLinga, Ravana may obtain immortality and create havoc on earth. He approached the Lord Ganesh and requested him to prevent the AtmaLinga from reaching Lanka. Lord Ganesh knew that Ravana was a very devoted person who used to perform prayer ritual in the evening every day without fail. He decided to make use of this fact and came up with a plan to confiscate the AtmaLinga from Ravana.
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 theAtmaLinga in his hands, he would not be able to do his rituals. At this time, Lord Ganesh in the disguise of a Brahmin boy accosted him. Ravana requested him to hold the AtmaLinga 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 AtmaLinga on the ground.
As predicted, before Ravana could return after completing his rituals, Ganesh had already placed the AtmaLinga on the ground. Vishnu then removed his illusion and it was daylight again. Ravana, realising that he tried to uproot and destroy it. Due to the force exerted by Ravana, some pieces were scattered. One such piece from the head of the linga is said to have fallen in present day Surathkal. The famous Sadashiva temple is said to be built around that piece of linga. Then he decided to destroy the covering of the AtmaLinga, and threw the case covering it to a place called Sajjeshwara. Then he threw the lid of the case to a place called Guneshwara (now Gunavanthe) and Dhareshwara, 10–12 miles away. Finally, he threw the cloth covering the AtmaLinga to a place called Mrideshwara in Kanduka-Giri (Kanduka Hill). Mrideshwara has been renamed to Murudeshwar.
Nearest Places:
Mugali Beach:
2.5 KM from Gunavanthe. Mugali is a small hamlet coming under village Gunavante of Honnavar taluka. The village has a beautiful rocky seashore (Arabian sea). The rocky shore is interrupted by sandy beaches here and there. This beach is very clean and beautiful with coconut orchard. Good season for the visitors is during December to March. Later onwards the sea become rough (with bigger waves) which is not safe to get in to it. The rocky shore is a heaven for fishing (with hook and line)especially during mid August to mid October. Fishes like mullets, rock codes, perches (Lutzanus spp.) are caught.
Idagunji:
4 km From Gunavanthe Temple. 15 Kms from Honnavar and around 23 kms from Murdeswar is the ancient Idagunji Ganapati Temple. One has to take a detour from National Highway and travel around 7 kms interior to reach this beautiful temple. The temple is said to be around 800 years old, one of the oldest temples in Uttar Kannada district.
Apsara Konda, Honnavar.
5KM from Gunavanthe. 8 Kms from Honnavar, near the confluence of the Sharavathi river and the Sea, there a small water fall and a pool on a hillock, called Apsara Konda. Legend says that the Apsaras (Heavenly fairies) used to come here to bathe and relax. The place truly exudes heavenly beauty. There is Devi temple and a branch of Ramachandra mutt. There are several big caves on the hillock called ‘Pandavas caves’.With a view of the river, the sea, lthe islands, l;the lush green fields and coconut groves, the Apsarkonda hillock verily offers a feast to the eyes that see.
Murdeshwar
10KM from Gunavanthe. 16 Kms from Bhatkal to the north on Honnavar-Bhatkal NH 17. The famous Mahtobara Temple can today boast of the tallest Shiva statue in the world. The statue has special reflecting eyes, which makes statue alive. The temple on the beach itself attracts a large number of tourists because of the sea shore ambience
Nearby places to visit: Netrani Island. 18 Kms from Bhatkal south of Murdeswar.
Connectivity: 16 Kms from Bhatkal on NH
Basavaraja Durga Island
The Island of Basavaraja Durga is about a km from main land off Honnavar. You can reach the island through boats and small coasters. The landing place is at the south end where there is a ruined fort with eight mounted guns. The fort was built by Great Shivappa Naik of Bednur (1648-1670). The island is mostly level and has plenty of fresh water.
Karikannamma Temple
12 Kms from Honnavar is the Karikannamma Hill. Atop the hill which is a piece of natural beauty and offers panoramic view of the surroundings, is the temple of the deity. This deity is worshipped as different goddess by different people as Durge, Saraswati and Bhairavi. Sunset view on the Arabian sea is a enthralling sight.
Higund Island
Higund is a beautiful island in River Sharavati just before it joins the Arabian Sea. 3 kms from Honnavar – Bangalore National Highway brings you along this island. Presently the approach is from either Adkar village or Kodani village through country boat. The sunset view from this island is a lifetime experience.
Gerusoppa / Nagara bastikeri
Situated on bank of river Sharavati the old town of Gerusoppa also called NAGAR BASTIKERI is rich with historical monuments, the Chaturmukha basti being the most prominent one. It is a beautiful structure built in Vijayanagar style withChaturasara plan. It has four entrances from four directions leading to garbhagrihas. There are four images of Tirthankaras, Vrishabha, Ajita, Sambhava and Abhinandan, seated in padmasana. One of this has been of late damaged. The engravings in this basti of dwarapalas and other mural desigtns are well executed with refinement.
Gerusoppa Valley / Reservoir
Newly constructed Gerusoppa dam has created a unique reservoir in gerusoppa valley. The breath taking view of the valley can be had from atop a observation tower constructed by Forest dept, about 10 kms from Gerusoppa towards Jogfalls. Boat cruise in the reservoir through the valley is on the anvil.
Where to stay at Honavar/Murdewashwar/Bhatkal:
|
Sl No.
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Name of the Hotel
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Telephone No: (pls verify the no. before calling)
|
Type of accommodation
|
Access
|
|
1
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Murdeswar Guest House, Murdeswar
|
568860, 5680424,
425, 426
|
Non A/c rooms
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On Murdeswar beach
|
|
2
|
Murdeswar Resort, Murdeswar
|
560415, 428, 429, 430
|
A/c rooms
|
|
|
3
|
Yatri Nivas, Murdeswar
|
560060
|
A/c. Non A/c rooms
|
|
|
4
|
Hotel Murdeswar, Murdeswar
|
560479
|
Non A/c
|
|
|
5
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Hotel Benz, (NH 17) Murdeswar
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08385 525256
|
A/c. Non A/c rooms
|
On NH 17 at the road cross to Murdeswar
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|
6
|
Hotel Kamat Executive, Honnavar
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08387 222010 ( Verified)
|
A/c, Non A/c rooms
|
|
|
7
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Hotel Kola Paradise, Bhatkal
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08385 523707
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Non A/c rooms
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