Murudeshwar

ಮುರುಡೇಶ್ವರ

Shiva · Murudeshwara

Murudeshwar, Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka · Shaiva tradition

A Shiva statue of about 123 feet stands in the temple complex; Karnataka Tourism calls it one of the tallest Shiva statues.

The story begins: “Ravana, the king of Lanka, performs penance and receives the Atmalinga from Shiva.”

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Darshan hours
  • 6:00 am – 1:00 pm · Morning darshan
  • 3:00 pm – 8:30 pm · Evening darshan
Next aarti or puja (India time)
See the schedule below
What to wear
Men: dhoti (panche) or formal trousers. Women: saree, or churidar with dupatta. Shorts, sleeveless tops and ripped jeans are not allowed.
Getting there
Train: Murudeshwar station (MRDW), Konkan RailwayAir: Mangaluru International Airport

Not yet confirmed: phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths, walking distance. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

Told in: The Atmalinga tradition as published by Karnataka Tourism and KSTDC

Where the covering fell

Ravana, the king of Lanka, performs penance and receives the Atmalinga from Shiva. The gift carries one condition, given in Karnataka Tourism's account of Gokarna: the linga must not be set on the ground before it reaches Lanka.

The gods fear what Ravana will become if he carries it home. Ganesha intervenes in disguise — with Vishnu's help, in the KSTDC telling. Ravana is tricked into setting the linga down, and it fixes itself to the ground at Gokarna, where it is worshipped as Mahabaleshwara.

Ravana tries to pull it up and cannot. In the Karnataka Tourism account he turns on it in anger, trying to destroy it, and its pieces are scattered across Karnataka.

One of those pieces is the reason for this temple. Karnataka Tourism says that Murudeshwara is the place where part of the linga's covering fell. KSTDC is more specific: it was the cloth wrapped around the linga, and it came down on Kanduka Hill. The temple complex stands on that hill today, on the shore between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, and the shrine is worshipped as Murudeshwara.

So the temple belongs to a group of sites, with Gokarna at its centre, that trace themselves to one episode. Karnataka Tourism notes that Murudeshwara is not one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, while describing it as highly revered because of this story.

Two things we have not yet found in a written source: the names of the other places where pieces of the linga fell, and the Puranic text that carries this version of the story.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: Karnataka Tourism, Murudeshwara — legend, statue and Raja Gopura, timings, dress code, how to reach, nearby karnatakatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), blog post 'KARNATAKA – World's 2nd Tallest Shiva Statue Shines in Murdeshwar' (undated) kstdc.co · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Karnataka Tourism, Mahabaleshwar Temple, Gokarna — legend, architecture, history, darshan timings, dress code, getting there karnatakatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Murudeshwar matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. In the Atmalinga story, Murudeshwara is where part of the linga's covering fell after Ravana tried to destroy the linga.

    2 sources for: In the Atmalinga story, Murudeshwara is where part of the linga's covering fell
    • Government: Karnataka Tourism, Murudeshwara — legend, statue and Raja Gopura, timings, dress code, how to reach, nearby karnatakatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), blog post 'KARNATAKA – World's 2nd Tallest Shiva Statue Shines in Murdeshwar' (undated) kstdc.co · seen 2026-10-09

  2. The temple stands on Kanduka Hill, between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats.

    2 sources for: The temple stands on Kanduka Hill, between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats
    • Government: Karnataka Tourism, Murudeshwara — legend, statue and Raja Gopura, timings, dress code, how to reach, nearby karnatakatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), blog post 'KARNATAKA – World's 2nd Tallest Shiva Statue Shines in Murdeshwar' (undated) kstdc.co · seen 2026-10-09

  3. A Shiva statue of about 123 feet stands in the temple complex; Karnataka Tourism calls it one of the tallest Shiva statues.

    2 sources for: A Shiva statue of about 123 feet stands in the temple complex; Karnataka Tourism
    • Government: Karnataka Tourism, Murudeshwara — legend, statue and Raja Gopura, timings, dress code, how to reach, nearby karnatakatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), blog post 'KARNATAKA – World's 2nd Tallest Shiva Statue Shines in Murdeshwar' (undated) kstdc.co · seen 2026-10-09

  4. Its Raja Gopura is a multi-storey gateway tower with a lift to a viewing level near the top.

    2 sources for: Its Raja Gopura is a multi-storey gateway tower with a lift to a viewing level n
    • Government: Karnataka Tourism, Murudeshwara — legend, statue and Raja Gopura, timings, dress code, how to reach, nearby karnatakatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), blog post 'KARNATAKA – World's 2nd Tallest Shiva Statue Shines in Murdeshwar' (undated) kstdc.co · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Architectural style not yet identified

No published description of the temple's architectural style has been found yet. The tourism sources describe its Raja Gopura and the Shiva statue but not the shrine's idiom or date. They also disagree on the gopura's storeys: Karnataka Tourism says 20 storeys (249 feet), KSTDC says 21.

  • Sculpture

    Shiva statue

    The figure of Shiva that stands above the temple complex on Kanduka Hill. KSTDC says it has stood since 2006.

    Shiva statue height: 123 ft
    • Government: Karnataka Tourism, Murudeshwara — legend, statue and Raja Gopura, timings, dress code, how to reach, nearby karnatakatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), blog post 'KARNATAKA – World's 2nd Tallest Shiva Statue Shines in Murdeshwar' (undated) kstdc.co · seen 2026-10-09

  • Gateway tower

    Raja Gopura

    The gateway tower in front of the temple. A lift runs to a viewing level near the top — the 18th floor, per KSTDC — for a fee of about ₹10–20 per Karnataka Tourism.

  • Detail

    Kanduka Hill

    The hill the complex is built on, which the KSTDC telling of the Atmalinga story names as the place where the linga's cloth came down.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

Morning darshan6:00 am – 1:00 pm
Evening darshanKarnataka Tourism gives 20:30; KSTDC gives 20:00.3:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Abhisheka begins6:30 am

Confirm on the day. Times change on festival days and without notice. These times are not from the temple’s own notice.

Before you go

  • Dress: Men: dhoti (panche) or formal trousers. Women: saree, or churidar with dupatta. Shorts, sleeveless tops and ripped jeans are not allowed.
  • Camera: Photography outside the shrine only
  • Footwear is removed at the entrance.
  • Entry to the temple is free; the Raja Gopura lift is charged.
  • Anna Prasada (a free meal) is served in the afternoon, subject to availability.

Walking, steps and access

We have not yet confirmed how much walking or climbing is involved, or whether there is wheelchair access. If you are travelling with elders, ask at the temple office or the devasthanam enquiry counter before you set out.

Getting there

  • By train: Murudeshwar station (MRDW), Konkan RailwayPer Karnataka Tourism and KSTDC; trains halting at Bhatkal or Honnavar are also close.
  • By air: Mangaluru International Airport · about 165 kmKarnataka Tourism gives about 165 km; KSTDC gives about 170 km. Goa airport is about 210 km, per KSTDC.
  • By road: National Highway 66The temple is about 1 km off the highway, per KSTDC. KSRTC buses run to Bengaluru, Kumta, Karwar, Hubballi, Mangaluru and Panaji.

PIN 581350 (not yet checked with India Post)

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

The temple’s festival calendar has not been sourced yet.

Customs you will see here

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. The Atmalinga's covering falls on Kanduka Hill

    The origin the tourism sources give for the shrine. They do not say in which yuga this happened.

    2 sources for: The Atmalinga's covering falls on Kanduka Hill
    • Government: Karnataka Tourism, Murudeshwara — legend, statue and Raja Gopura, timings, dress code, how to reach, nearby karnatakatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), blog post 'KARNATAKA – World's 2nd Tallest Shiva Statue Shines in Murdeshwar' (undated) kstdc.co · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

  1. c. 2006

    Shiva statue in place

    KSTDC says the statue has stood since 2006. We have not yet found a source for who commissioned and built it.

    Source for: Shiva statue in place
    • Government: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), blog post 'KARNATAKA – World's 2nd Tallest Shiva Statue Shines in Murdeshwar' (undated) kstdc.co · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Temple

    Mahabaleshwar Temple, Gokarna

    The centre of the Atmalinga story this temple belongs to.

  • Fort

    Mirjan Fort

    A 16th-century fort on the Aghanashini river, per Karnataka Tourism.

  • Temple

    Idagunji Ganapati Temple

    A Ganapati temple Karnataka Tourism lists among nearby visits.

  • Waterfall

    Jog Falls

    Karnataka Tourism recommends September to November for a visit.

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Government: Karnataka Tourism, Murudeshwara — legend, statue and Raja Gopura, timings, dress code, how to reach, nearby karnatakatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), blog post 'KARNATAKA – World's 2nd Tallest Shiva Statue Shines in Murdeshwar' (undated) kstdc.co · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Karnataka Tourism, Mahabaleshwar Temple, Gokarna — legend, architecture, history, darshan timings, dress code, getting there karnatakatourism.org · seen 2026-10-09

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Murudeshwar”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/murudeshwar (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence