Gokarna is a temple town located at a distance of 60 km from Karwar in Uttara Kannada district. Gokarna is a Hindu pilgrimage centre as well as an important tourist destination. The temple here is dedicated to Lord Mahabaleshwar, an incarnation of Lord Shiva.
Gokarna is situated on the banks of Arabian Sea, and this coastline is surrounded by natural beauty with five beaches and hills along side, the traveler can choose his favorite for himself.
The meaning of Gokarna is "Cow's Ear". This sacred place is located between the Gangavali and Agnashini river mouth and it is named for the ear-shaped meeting of two rivers. It is also believed that Gokarna gets its name from the legend in which Lord Shiva emerged from the ear of a cow.
The Mahabaleshwar temple at Gokarna is respected as a Shaiva pilgrimage centre than a tourist destination and as important as Kashi and Rameshwara pilgrimage centers for Hindus. Gokarna is also respected as "siddi kshetra" and "Mukti Stala" of Karnataka.
The Mahabaleshwara Shiva Temple in Gokarna makes this place a holy centre for Hindus (especially Shaivites) from all over the country. The temple finds mention in the compositions of Tamil poets Appar and Sambandar who praise the Lord of Tulu Nadu in their hymns. This place was under the rule of the Kadambas, the Vijayanagara kings and was later conquered by the Portuguese.
