Gokarna is a popular pilgrimage and tourist spot in India. It is a small town situated in district of Uttara Kannada in the state of Karnataka. Number of beautiful beaches attracts the tourists from far and wide. Kannada is the main language while Konkani and Marathi are also spoken widely. Best time to visit this town is from October to March. How to get there: Rail and road link the town to other parts of the state and the country. Several state run buses and other private vehicles are available from other cities and towns of the state. Many trains connect Gokarna to other cities and towns of the state and the country. Nearest airport is located at Dabolim at Goa. It is about 140 km away from Gokarna. The airport is well linked by several flights to other major cities of the country.Places of interest: There are many places of tourist attraction in and around Gokarna. Gokarna Beach is a beautiful beach situated between Western Ghats and Arabian Sea. The beach offers its tourists fascinating views of panoramic sea shores, sea gulls. The beach is very quiet and draws many tourists to spend holidays. An ideal place for swimming, Half Moon Beach is another beautiful beach of Gokarna. The beach also offers its tourist many activities like Canoes, Volleyball, Paintball, Cabins, Paddleboats and Camping. Paradise Beach is equally beautiful beach of Gokarna. The beach is also known as Full Moon Beach and it can be reached by boat. The beach is ideal place for sunbathing and swimming. Kudale Beach and Om Beach are other beautiful beaches to be seen here.Being one of the popular pilgrimage center the town of Gokarna also houses some temples of religious significance. Mahabaleshwara Temple is the temple of Lord Shiva in Gokarna. The temple is very sacred place of worship. A major festival is organized here on the occasion of Shivaratri in the month of February. Many devotees come here from other parts of the state to witness the interesting event of Rath Yatra in which a sacred idol of Lord Shiva is put on the large temple chariot and then it is driven by many devotees. Maha Ganapati temple is another important temple of Gokarna. The temple is situated near the temple of Mahabaleshwar and it is common for devotees to seek blessing first here and then move to the temple of Lord Shiva. Other details: On the occasion of Shivaratri two large chariots with idols of Gods are driven by the devotees. The town draws thousands of people to witness this holy event.
