Murudeshwar: one of the largest Shiva statues in the world

From Gokarna to Murudeshwar it's about a 2-hour drive. This small seaside town is home to a temple complex with one of the largest Shiva statues in the world (37 m), the world's tallest gopuram tower (78 m), which serves as the entrance gate, and a cave museum with colorful, well-made scenes from Hindu mythology.

Murudeshwar: the temple complex

On the grounds of the Murudeshwar temple complex there is one of the largest Shiva statues in the world, the gopuram tower (also record-breakingly tall), and a cave museum with very beautiful, well-crafted scenes from the famous Hindu epic. Admission to the cave museum is only 20 rupees.

You can take an elevator up the gopuram tower, also inexpensive at 10 rupees, and enjoy a great view from the top. Everything else on the grounds of the Murudeshwar temple complex is free.

And this is what one of the tallest Shiva statues in the world, located on the grounds of the Murudeshwar complex, looks like:

The place is quite grand and colorful. It's also worth noting the pleasant pricing policy, with no racist discrimination against white tourists.

Murudeshwar on the map of India

For a more concrete idea of where Murudeshwar is located, here is a map showing the coordinates and the place:

Murudeshwar on the map of India

After breakfast not far from the Shiva statue, we set off for Jog Falls, which was the last sight on the way to our long-awaited Hampi. We left at around 11:00.