Built in 1912, Sri Gokarnanatheshwara temple at
Mangalore is the only temple in
Karnataka built by Sri Narayana Guru, the saint and social reformer from
Kerala. He constructed this temple for the Billava community who were banned from entering into the temples during that period.
Gokarnanatheshwara is the presiding deity. Smaller temples of Mahaganapathi, the Navagraha, Subramanya, Annapoorneswari, Anandabhairava, and Shaneeshwara are located around the main shrine.
Built in the
Tamil Nadu style, the temple has four gopuras decorated with murals of various gods and goddesses. Murals also depict various scenes from epics and legends. The main festivals celebrated are Navaratri and Shivratri.
