Murudeshwara Temple

The Murudeshwar Temple is a major spriritual and cultural place in Karnataka, known for having the world second tallest statue of lord shiva.The temple is located in Kanduka Hill (or Kanduka Giri) in the town of Murdeshwar, Bhatkal Taluk, within the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. this unique spot is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the arabian sea. this temple is dedicated to lord shiva as sri murudeshwara also known as sri mridesa linga. the main shivling is located approximately two feet below ground level believed to be a fragment  of the original atma linga. The demon king Ravana performed intense penance to obtain the Atma Linga (the soul of Shiva) to become immortal. Lord Shiva granted his wish but it on one condition that it must never be placed on the ground before reaching Lanka. by fearing Ravana's potential power Lord Ganesha and Lord Vishnu tricked him. lord ganesh, disguised as a cowherd, convinced ravana to let him hold the linga while ravana performed evening rituals and then placed it on the ground at gokarna. In a fury, Ravana tried to uproot the now-immobile Linga, causing it to break into several pieces. the cloth covering the atma linga fell on kanduka hill, where the murudeshwar temple was eventually built. Maha Shivaratri and Kartika Purnima are major festivals celebrated here. temple also observes Navratri, Diwali and ganesh Chaturthi with special decorations and prayers.