Murdeshwar is situated around 180 km from
Mangalore. It is famous for the Murdeshwar temple and the colossal statue of
Lord Shiva.
According to myth, Ravana obtained the Atmalinga (the reflection of Shiva in the form of Linga) from Lord Shiva. He was not supposed to put it on the ground, till he reached his place. While returning home, Ravana had to answer the Nature’call.
Lord Ganesh, in the guise of a small boy, offered to hold the Atmalinga. The agreement was that the boy would call Ravana thrice and if he failed to come, the boy would put the Atmalinga down. Ravana failed and the Atmalinga got embedded in the earth. While trying to remove it from the ground, a part of the Atmalinga got twisted around and came to be known as Murdeshwar. The temple is constructed over this part of the Atmalinga. It is built in Dravidian style. The wall of the temple is decorated with beautiful carvings. The temple is surrounded by sea from three sides.
World’s tallest idol of Lord Shiva, 123 ft tall, is situated at Murdeshwar. The other major attractions are the Murdeshwar beach and the fort behind the Murdeshwar temple.
The nearest airport is at Goa.
Murdeshwar Railway Station is on the Bhatkal-Margao rail route.
