Skip to main content

Featured Post

2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Beaches of Gokarna

I stood behind a small shrine, atop a hillock. Ahead of me, as far as I could see, was the sea. Below, the waves lapped at the rocks, sending a stray spray up to where I stood. On one side, I could see the rows of palms which designated the end of the beach. Beyond were rooftops, the only evidence of the town. Somewhere amidst those roofs was an ancient temple, the one I had come to visit. For once, it wasn’t just the temple, but the beaches which beckoned. For, I was at Gokarna, a town known just as much for its holy temple as its magnificent beaches.





Gokarna was nothing like I had imagined it to be. On an earlier trip, we had visited the temple and the main beach, but seen little else. Imagine my surprise then, when we left the highway and turned into a narrow lane, which led us through a thickly wooded forest, twisting and turning over the hills which surrounded the small town. Our sputtering auto surprised peacocks out of their peaceful paths, and we were entranced by the sight of them flying for cover. We rounded a curve, and one of the many beaches came into view. This one, we were told, was Kudle Beach.



The beach’s name comes from the word ‘small’ in Kannada. And it was small indeed, compared to other beaches I had seen, even in this region. The hills were obviously responsible, since they divided the long coast into small nooks – hidden beaches, which, even today, had to be approached by foot!

A little further was the beach we were headed to – among the most popular in the area, one which draws people from far and wide – Om beach. Here again, the hills hid the beach till we were almost right above it. Walking from the auto stand, where our driver dropped us, we could see why the beach was so named….



Of course, we were watching from the wrong side! The hills on the opposite end would show the ‘Om’ symbol perfectly, but it wasn’t difficult to imagine from where we stood.


Three beaches may seem enough for a town as small as Gokarna, but these aren’t the only ones! There are two more beaches, further beyond the hills, unapproachable during the monsoons, except for those willing to trek. Needless to add, we didn’t even try! Three such beautiful beaches was enough to keep us busy! 

This was originally published on the Club Mahindra Blog. You can read the article here

Comments

  1. Hello.. Gorkhana Beaches are amazing.. Nice clicks.. Thanks for sharing..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice photographs! Brings back some good memories. Need to re-do the moonlight trek between these beaches.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sankara. Good to see u back here! I wish I could do that trek too...

      Delete
  3. Your pics are amazing Anu..Loved the OM Beach

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Chitra! Its a beautiful place. you should visit Gokarna sometime. There are so many interesting temples all around!

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Thanks Niranjan. your posts on Gokarna were really useful for me while planning this trip. thanks so much for that!

      Delete
  5. Nicely written article. I suggest to visit Mirjan fort which is quite near from Gokarna..
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/ramnath1971/9762786355/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! I did visit Mirjan fort too, and will write about it soon. I just saw your photo, and its wonderful! much better than any I have clicked! great work!

      Delete
  6. Gorkhana Beaches are amazing. Nice captures. Thanks. India holidays Tours - http://www.everetttravels.com/India-Holidays-Tours.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
    href= http://”www.secureairportcarparking.com” Birmingham Airport Car Parking

    ReplyDelete
  8. amazing.. i have been to gokarna and after reading this, wish to be back there.. such a beautiful place.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you, It's really amazing to find good beaches in Karnataka. Till now, I was of the opinion that if one has to see beaches, Goa is the best place, After reading your inputs, Karnataka is equally good.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.

Pandharpur Yatra 2023

The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie