Old temples of Bhatkal

Bhatkal is a town in Coastal Karnataka. Located equidistant from Kerala and Goa borders, it is not known much in tourist circles. I had travelled to Coastal Karnataka many times, but only once I had passed through the town of Bhatkal as I either travelled to the north or the south of Bhatkal. I never bothered to think much about this town as Coastal Karnataka had many tourist attractions.

Recently, I had a chance to cross this town. While searching for the places to visit, I accidentally saw a mention of an old and a small temple called “Adike Narayana” temple on a tourist website. Since it was just a matter of a few minutes detour, I included it my itinerary of that day.

As we took the deviation from the main highway, we saw a beautiful temple on the right side of the road. I was surprised to see this temple as our destination “Adike Narayana” temple was still further away. I thought that Google Maps had wrongly marked the temple, and hence I parked my car to visit the temple.

A dull board outside the temple provided useful information. It was “Khetapai Narayana Temple” constructed in 1546 AD by a businessman named Khetapai. I was surprised to see that there were six old temples in that area!! I reprimanded myself for doing shallow research on the temples in Bhatkal.

History of Bhatkal

Ruled by Cholas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara Empire, Keladi rulers, Tipu Sultan and British, Bhatkal was an important town due to its strategic location on the coast. The town rose to prominence during the reigns of the Vijayanagara Empire, where horses were imported from the Persian Gulf in exchange for rice and other items. The town prospered and traders graciously donated to construct the temples. Most of the temples were constructed during the 16th century.

Khetapai Narayana temple

Khetapai Narayana temple exceeded our expectations. The sloping stone roof was new for me. Probably, it was constructed to withstand the heavy rains in the area. The stone screens and distinctively shaped Yali balustrade are said to be typical to the temples in this area. The pillars and the carved ceiling were a clear demonstration of the Vijayanagar period.

As we walked around the temple in the clockwise direction, we were stunned to see the scriptures on the panel depicting the story of Ramayana. It was so clear to understand even for a layman like me. The walls of the outer basement has carvings showing court scenes and incidents from everyday life. Some erotic sculptures had also found their place in this temple.

Joshi Shakaranarayana Temple

Behind “Khetapai Narayana” temple was Joshi Shakaranarayana Temple. It was a small temple with a large open area.

Adike Narayana Temples

Our original temple “Adike Narayana” was in a bad state. We were welcomed by the clothes that were put to dry on the compound of the temple. Surprisingly the temple was the backyard of a house!! It was used as a private area by the household where things like Areca nut was put to dry. I felt the name “Adike” (Areca nut in Kannada) came because of this practice!!

Other temples

Feeling sorry for the state of the temple, we proceeded to look at other temples. We visited Lakshmi Narayana and Shantappa Nayaka Tirumala temple. Modern structures covered the old temple, and they were heavily used for religious purposes. We could not visit Lakkar Kamti Narayana Temple due to lack of time.

I realised that Bhatkal has a rich history with old temples, Jain Basadis and mosques. If you are interested in history and travelling to this area, I would strongly recommend spending some time savouring the historical remains in this town.

Places to visit near Bhatkal

You can reach Goa or Karnataka borders in 2.5 hours of drive from Bhatkal. Even Jog falls on top of the Western Ghats is just 2 hours away. So, I am listing only the places that are within an hour’s reach from Bhatkal!!

• Murudeshwar, the temple town with nice beaches
• Nearby Kundapur, Maravanthe and Baindor has some good beaches.
• Idagunji Temple
• Kollur, another temple town and a gateway to many places in nearby.