Bhatkal Beach - Karnataka

The picturesque Bhatkal Beach is a scenic holy place of Murudeshwar and is known for the gorgeous temple perched on a hillock by the shore. With the roaring sea to the west, the towering hills to the east and the coconut and areca groves nearby, the temple attracts a lot of devotees and tourists as well.

The sea is an intrinsic part of the temple scape at Murudeshwar. The sea surrounds the temple towering on the small hill called Kanduka Giri on three sides.

There is also a huge fort behind the temple, said to have been renovated by Tipu sultan, the ruler of Mysore. Bhatkal was the main port of the Vijayanagar Empire in the 16th century.

It has two small but interesting temples - the Jain Chadranatha Basadi and a 17th century Vijayanagar temple with animal carvings typical of the Vijayanagar artisans.