Gokarna is a small temple town located in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka state in southern India,[1] It has a population of around 20,000.

Due to an increase in tourism, the character of the town has changed, and is no longer just a centre of pilgrimage, though large numbers of Shiva devotees continue to visit for prayer and worship.

Atmaveda's wife Dhundhuli did not want to go through the pain of pregnancy and childbirth, so she gave the fruit from the Sannyasi to her cow.

Brahma, feeling proud because he could create the universe, decided to meditate to apologize for his arrogance.

The Puranas state that when Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu created Kerala, it was from Gokarna to Kanyakumari.

[7] As per legend, Ravana was given Atmalinga by Shiva and instructed that it would stay permanently where it is first placed on the land.

[8][9] The earliest legend of the city is set in the age of the Treta Yuga, in which Ravana (the rakshasa king of Lanka) reaches Kailasha and performed rigorous penance to obtain the atmalinga from Shiva, as Ravana's mother expressed a keen desire to worship the atmalinga of Shiva.

[10][11] After a long penance, Shiva granted the atmalinga to Ravana as a boon and instructs Ravana to carry it home by walk, that he should never place it on the earth even for a short while failing which the linga would get eternally embedded at the place where he broke his commands.

So, in frustration, he threw the coverings of the linga to Dhareshwara and Gunavanteshwara, Murudeshwara, and Shejjeshwar temples.

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs long-journey buses from cities like Panaji, Bengaluru and Mangalore.

Neighbouring villages are Bankikodla-Hanehalli, Sanikatta, Tadadi, Torke, Madangere, Maskeri, Adigone, Nelaguni and Bijjur.

The drive up the winding path that leads to Gokarna is scenic, with the rocky mountains and Western Ghats on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other.

Kudle and Om are around 6 km from Gokarna town along a muddy hill; they are accessible by rickshaw or foot.

Half moon and Paradise are beyond Om beach and are accessible only by trekking or boat.

[15] A notable alumni of the school is cancer research scientist, Narayan Sadashiv Hosmane.