KARKALA

Karkala is a town and also the headquarters of Karkala Taluk and is located about 30 miles from Udupi, the nearest railway head. It lies near the Western Ghats. The first name of this town was Pandya Nagari because the two chiefs of Bhairarasa family who ruled in this region from early 14th century, had the name of Veerapandya. The Bhairarasa hailed from Humcha in Shimoga district. Afterwards the name was changed to Karikallu because of black stones. Over time, the name changed to Karkal and then to Karkala. This place is a pilgrim centre for both Jains and others. It has been rated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. September to March is the best time to visit Karkala. Avoid the summers as it is far too hot at that time of the year.

Gommata

There is a beautiful 42 feet monolithic statue of Lord Gomateswara (a.k.a. Bahubali) here. It is located about 1 km from the center of the town and is the second tallest in Karnataka. Veerapandya Bhairavarasa, the son of Bhairavarasa in 1418 AD vowed to make this statue after seeing the one at Sharanvanabelagola. The sculptors of the king took a year to make a rough structure. They had the problem of carrying this over a hill 300 feet in height. The statue weighs 80 tonnes, lesser than what it was at the time of construction. This rough structure was placed on a cart which had 20 wheels and was tied together with strong ropes. Thousands of people including the king and his courtmen, even women and people of all ages drew this cart. It took nearly a month to take the same to the top. There it was given the final touches. All of this took another year. The date of the installation has been ascertained as February 13, 1432. Veera Pandya also installed the Brahmadeva Pillar in front of the statue in 1436. The statue of Bahubali is reached by a flight of rock-cut steps. Every twelve years, thousands of Jain devotees come to Karkala to perform the Mahamastakabhisheka, a ceremony where the statue is then bathed and anointed with libations such as milk, water, and saffron paste.