Now a few words about the historic antiquity of Gokarn. As already refered to and quoted about, there are free and frequent mention of Gokarn Kshetra in the major epics and Puranas such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata, Skanda Purana and many other theological scriptures.
Kalidasa mentions the Lord of Gokarn Gokameshwar in his great epic ‘Raghuvamsha’ in the context of the accidental death of Aja’s queen Indumati. The climax of the action in the famous play ‘Nagananda’ by Shri Harsha takes place in Gokarn.
During historic times there is record of kind Bukka Deva of Vijayanagara visiting Gokarn and worshipping God Mahabaleshwara Shri Jadunath Sarkar the front historian has mentioned in his life of Shivaji that the Chatrapati had come to gokarn and offered Pooja to the Atmalinga. Even before that Arab travellers had visited Gokarn and di scribed their observation in their journals. After the fall of Tippu Dr. Buccanon was ordered by the British Governor General to report about both the Kanaras annexed to the empire and he has recorded in detail what saw as in Gokarn his famous Diary of the Journey through South and North Kanara.
The celebrated Maharastrian Sanyasi Santh and Sanskrit scholar philosopher Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati popularly known as Tembe Maharaj had stayed in Gokarn and performed Tapasya and left some Sanskrit hymans on god Mahabaleshwar.
In Modem times a name has once again been imortalised by the immension of the holy ashes of our beloved Mahatmaji, the father of our nation in the Tamrapami Kunda in front of the shrine of Tamragouri. Infact after the establishment of the atmalingam by God Ganapati. This the dipping of the Chita Bhasma of Mahatma Gandhi is the next even of international importance.
In 1958 Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the then President of India visited Gokarn and worshipped the Atmalinga. He also came here as the guest of late Maharshi Daivarata Sharma who was the late president’s close friend of long standing.
So much for the historic background of the great Kshetra.
Even for sheer beauty of nature Gokama is a comeasure of tourists from all over India and abroad.
In the west there is the sea roaring in a low key like the massed sound of chanting of Vedic hymans facing its blue exponse are the thinly grown tall coconut gardens submerging the town in a dark green sea of their own. The busy breeze playing with these tree-tops and whistling merribly all the way the rows of hills high and low of the Shatashringa ranga surrounding this landscape and then the temples and sacred tank (Tirthas) twinkling and the remaining whom winking at you as cherricing pionic spots here a there with t eh modest of these seenic sights sanctified site of solitude and silence of the high hill of Umamaheshwar in distance jetting itself in the sea from where the whole stretch of miles and miles.
With Shalmaliganga to the north and Aghanashini in the south restling to the arms of these two rivers line this track unknown down the ages as Gokarn Mandala. The central jewel in this track unkown down the ages as Gokarn Mandala. The central jewel in this medellion of saphire immoral and rubins to the ancient temple of God Mahabaleshwar is said to have been built by the Kadamba Kings of Banavasi.
Dipavali, illuminations of Kartika Poomima the year festival of Shiraratri the floral Mantapas
with special worship offered at the God Mahabaleshwars temple every night during the holy months of Shravana and Bhadrapada the grand festivals of Navaratri. The high food of Suggi folk dances of the Halakki Vakkals in Chaitra and the Bandi Habba with its gold Kalasha bloody offerings of sheep and poultry to Ammanavru (Bhadrakali) in the late Vaishakha. This goes the meryy-go-round of Colourful festivals and rituals the year round adding man made joy to godmade delight of the beautiful seaside Kshetra which is God’s own Gokarn.
The following strotra was presented by Sri Vasudevanandasaraswati Maharaj (Tembe Maharaj) when he visited Gokarn.
