Driving along the Western coast of India from Karwar to Bhatkal
Overview: I had always liked driving across coastal highways. This one was not exactly driving along the coast, but yes, it took me to some exciting places along India's west coast, particularly in North Canara region. Starting from Karwar, I covered several places all the way to Bhatkal. I have covered Karwar, Ankola and Aversa in one of my earlier posts. According to legend, Ravana had won the Atmalinga from Lord Shiva after performing severe penance. On his way back to Lanka, while performing evening prayers, he requested a young Brahmin (Lord Ganesha in disguise) to hold the Atmalinga till he completes his prayers. But he was tricked and the Atmalinga was placed on the ground. Furious with this, Ravana tried to remove the Atmalinga from the found and threw it in all directions. It got established as 5 Atmalingas in this region- at Shejjeshwar, Dhareshwara, Gokarna, Gunavanteshwara and Murudeshwara. Along this route are few of the p...