Kudroli Gokarnanatheshwara Temple

The Kudroli Gokarnanatheshwara Temple, often called Kudroli Gokarnath Temple, is a Shiva temple in Mangaluru. Compared with many temples in India it is young: the reformer and spiritual leader Narayana Guru founded it in 1912 as a place where people of every caste and community could worship together, and that commitment to equality still defines it. Shiva is worshipped here as Gokarnanatha, a form tied to the old pilgrimage town of Gokarna.

The complex blends traditional and modern design. Its tall gopurams are brightly painted and crowded with deities, celestial figures and battle scenes. The main deity is richly ornamented, and there are also images of Ganesha, Subramanya and Annapoorneshwari. A separate hall for the Navagraha, the nine planets, is decorated with colourful murals and sculpture.