Gokarna,
a sleepy tiny village/town on the western coast of Karnataka
(two-hour drive from South Goa) is a magical land brimming with
remarkable colourful wooden houses, delightful and clean beaches, a
jungle and few important temples including the main Shiva temple,
Mahabaleshwar and Maha Ganapathi temples besides many other tiny ones
around the town.
Every house has its name written in the local language on their outside wall
The
town is of complete contrast in its nature. On one hand we have
beaches with relatively clean sand, attracting tourists from all over
and on the other side, it is known as one of the seven most important
Hindu pilgrimage places in India, consisting of just two main streets
offering restaurants, places to stay and to shop. Incredible, right?
After
we were done with exploring South Goa, we hired a taxi from Palolem
(Canacona) to reach Gokarna. There is just one passenger train from
Canacona Station (around 2:30 pm) for Gokarna and hence the decision
to hire a taxi for Rs. 2000/- as it was convenient, easy and a great
option if you have heavy luggage.
The
journey from Palolem to Gokarna is not just gorgeous but throughly
impressive as well. Karnataka can take pride-and-joy for having the
best roads. The diversity in landscape, glancing over ghats through
jungles is something one should not miss. I am sure the train journey
would be equally fascinating.
I
could easily divide this piece into two parts. One only about the
beach side and the other the town side but let me be the spoilsport
and mingle both as one cannot talk about Gokarna in separate breaths.
While writing I realised that this place can aptly be dubbed as the
perfect 'EAT, PRAY, LOVE' town! Not necessarily in the same order.
LOVE
So
this being our first time in Gokarna, after hearing about its 'hippie
culture', we booked ourselves in a popular touristy accomodation
called 'Namaste Cafe', perched at the famous Om beach. Its
only after checking-in did we realise that the place was abuzz with
tourists (since it was a long weekend) and that the beachside was
quite noisy. But, as day progressed to night, the crowds thinned and
the beach turned into an inviting one with moonlight giving a lovely
silver glaze to the waves. Lesson: Avoid weekends and public
holidays. The place offers a wide variety of rooms. From basic rooms
with attached bathrooms, dorm rooms with common toilets, rustic stone
cottages in addition to standard rooms, rooms with a view of the
beach, AC rooms etc. We opted for a basic, non-A/C, double bed room
for Rs. 1000/- per night overlooking a small pond. Upside: the
location—breathtaking views while approaching the property and its
proximity to clean, pristine waters! Downside: the Wi-fi sucks!
Locals flock the Om Beach
You will spot many cows wandering around Om Beach
It is a lovers paradise. Kudle beach.
Rocks on Kudle beach
Selfie time at Kudle Beach
Namaste
Cafe is a good 6-km drive from Gokarna town and rickshaw rides cost
anywhere between Rs. 200 – 300, depending on if you visit on-season
or off. To save up, we decided to hire a bike that is handily
available in town for Rs. 300 per day. Its easier to move around
from beach to beach and to include other destinations close-by. Also
remember that Om beach is frequented by lot of Indian tourists and
since 'Namaste Cafe' is the only restaurant in the vicinity, it gets
cramped during the day on weekends, so having a bike to get out is a
smart thing. Early mornings and late evenings are best to walk on,
meditate or simply unwind by Om beach and fall in love.
The
place is completely cut off from the main town thus one has to head
back before sunset as the ghat gets slightly tricky to tread thanks
to no street lighting, but for adventure lovers, its a lovely bike
ride back. But trust us, come back for the stunning sunset at Om
beach.
Besides
Om beach and Gokarna beach the place has Kudle beach
(half way through the ghat) again offering astonishing sea view along
with options to eat and stay. Apart from parking your vehicle on the
main ghat road and walking down the muddy, rocky path to reach the
destination, the beach is very relaxing with moderate tourists. And
finally, there's Paradise beach (supposedly the best but with
no options to stay or eat) slightly out of town but easy to locate
with signs on roads.
PRAY
Lets
start with the pilgrimage sites. The Mahabaleshwar Temple, one
of the largest in town and the main pilgrimage site close to Gokarna
beach, is an ancient one. Prepare to face some 'pushy'
pujaris/pundits asking for money to perform 'special' pujas. Avoid
them if you want.
An interior of a house
backside of the Maha Ganapathi Temple
Main entrance of Maha Ganapathi Temple
Ganesha
Tribal women selling Lotuses at the entrance of the temple
Naga Temple wall mural
Shops selling traditional stuff out side the temples
One
cannot miss the Maha Ganapathi Temple seemingly the only
temple in India in honour of Lord Ganesha. Standing wide in the
middle of a busy street in its sheer brilliant bright yellow
multicolour facade this temple boasts of having a primeval Ganesh
idol. Its also an interesting place to spot few tribal women selling
fresh flowers, water lilies and lotuses for Rs. 10/- to offer at the
idol. Around this temple there are small
shops selling religious items, psychedelic T-shirts and clothes for
cheap, akin to Goa's street markets. Malas
(prayer beads), incense, jewellery and religious paraphernalia are
sold here. Cherish few moments here admiring the
happenings around you.
Now
head to Koti Tirtha,
which
is believed to be one of the most sacred water sources in the region.
Pilgrims visiting the temple usually bathe here and some also perform
rituals for their departed ancestors before visiting the temple,
believing it will wash away their sins and bring lasting peace to
generations past and present. But surprisingly, the locals do not
care much about this tank which is right now in its most contaminated
stage. Otherwise the tank is surrounded by
beautiful, old, wooden houses that give a very old-worldy feel to the
entire area.
A woman washing clothes by Koti Teerth
A swami taking holy dip in the tank
The quote Teertha is filled with Lotuses
Steps to the tank
Old wooden houses around the tank
A man walking around the tank
Gokarna
town is a sacred place so try to remain quiet and respectful of local
traditions, ask permissions (and remove your footwear) before
entering a temple or a house and for god's sake, dress properly.
Respect the culture.
EAT
You
can't afford to miss Pai Restaurant (there is Pai Hotel too in
the vicinity) in the main town for their finger-licking South India
Thali, besides the usual suspects like upma, idli and vada. Munch on
their special banana bun with hot South Indian filter coffee in the
evenings. Yummilicious! I can have it everyday!
Maitreyee Juice Centre is another place
to have shrikhand-puri (the shrikhand is extremely light and
tasty) and don't forget to try their homemade ice creams in several
mouth-watering flavours! The tiny place is also famous for its
juices.
And
undoubtedly there is Namaste Cafe serving Mexican,
Israeli and Indian delicacies. You can fill on their tempting sea
food dishes here overlooking the Arabian sea.
We
also came to know about this lady serving home cooked rice, sambhar
and rasam in her house, but due to the Ganapati festival it was shut.
Try inquiring about and go for it.
Strictly
remember that the town, except eateries, shuts down from 1pm to 4pm
everyday for afternoon siesta!
I
can, without least hesitation, go back to this magical place to EAT,
PRAY and LOVE, over and over again.
Om Beach
Om Beach from Parvati Rocks
Gokarna Beach
Kudle Beach
