Murudeshwara
| Murudeshwara | |||
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 India
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| State : | Karnataka | ||
| District : | Uttara Kannada | ||
| Location : | 14 ° 6 ′ N , 74 ° 29 ′ E | ||
| Height : | 15 m | ||
| Residents : | 1,500 (2011) | ||
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Murudeshwara or Murdeshwar is a village with about 1500 inhabitants in the municipality ( taluk ) of Bhatkal in the Uttara Kannada district in the southwest Indian state of Karnataka . The place has been known as a pilgrimage site for centuries and is increasingly becoming a tourist destination.
location
Murudeshwara is located on the mostly mountainous west coast of Karnataka at an altitude of about 5 to 25 m above sea level. d. M. almost 200 km (driving distance) south of Goa or a good 150 km north of Mangaluru . The climate is subtropical and humid; Rain falls almost exclusively during the monsoon months from June to October.
population
The rural population, mostly speaking Kannada , consists almost without exception of Hindus ; Muslims and other religions are numerically small minorities. The male and female proportions of the population are roughly the same.
economy
The inhabitants of Murudeshwara lived and live largely as fishermen and farmers - while in earlier times they lived almost exclusively for self-sufficiency, with the improvement of transport options and increasing tourism, other sales markets have been added.
history
Murudeshwara was a small fishing village until the middle of the 20th century, in which there was also an old Shiva shrine. Since the 1980s, the pilgrimage site and holiday tourism have been expanded more and more and so the formerly remote village is currently experiencing a small tourist boom.
myth
The powerful demon Ravana , King of Sri Lanka, was a great follower of Shiva. Through long and severe penance exercises, he tried to persuade the god to give him the Atma Lingam , a stone with the power to make its owner immortal. Finally Shiva consented, but made the condition that the lingam should never touch the ground. The sage Narada recognized the power of the demon and asked Vishnu to protect him and thus all people from the threat of Ravana. Vishnu created the illusion of a sunset, whereupon Ravana wanted to say his evening prayers - he asked a young Brahmin boy who was just passing by to hold the atma lingam , but the one behind whom none other than Ganesha was hiding let the lingam sink to the ground, so that he lost all his strength. Ravana then smashed the stone into a thousand pieces, one of which fell in Murudeshwara.
Attractions
All of the sights are located on a small peninsula off the coast.
- The approx. 37 m high Shiva statue shows the god in the lotus position on the highest point of the hill; his hands hold the usual attributes: hourglass drum ( damaru ) and trident ( trishula ). He sits on a tiger skin , which he also uses as an apron . The snake vasuki winds around his neck and torso , and he wears a double necklace; his braids are pinned up - there is a small crescent moon ( chandra ) inside . His gaze goes south over the Nandi bull lying in front of him.
- Nearby is a group of figures with Shiva, Parvati , the Nandi bull and the ascetic demon Ravana.
- At the foot of the hill rises a 70 m high Gopuram tower, whose 20 floors are accessible and serve as viewing platforms. The entrance to the tower is flanked by two life-size elephants.
- Nearby is the old Murdeshwar temple, partly gilded.
Web links
- Murudeshwara - Photos + Info (English)