Gokarna is a temple town and is referred to in a number of Hindu historical literature pieces. Around the town lie a number of beaches and these serve as a major attraction for travellers. Om beach is one of the most famous beach near Gokarna. Gokarna in the Uttara Kannada district of the Karnataka state, India. It is a temple town and is referred to in a number of Hindu historical literature pieces. Around the town lie a number of beaches and these serve as a major attraction for travellers.

Many long-term foreign visitors come to Gokarna, as there are nice secluded beaches nearby. A half-hour walk south of Gokarna are four good, secluded beaches popular with long-term travelers. The most popular time to visit is between January and February. Many people come from Goa after New Years, especially for the full moon.

Four of the most beautiful beaches in India are located south of Gokarna, in the jungle. The first beach is called Kudle Beach, and it is about a twenty-minute walk from Gokarna. To get to Kudle, take the path that starts on the south side of the Ganapati Temple. The path goes uphill and then drops down to Kudle Beach, a beautiful, kilometre-long white sand beach surrounded by palm trees. At this beach there are simple huts and beachside eating places. You need to bring your own bedding. There is fresh water here.
The next beach is OM Beach, thirty-minutes further south. The beach got its name because it is shaped like the auspicious Om sign. There are some really basic huts and some chai shops to eat at. Many Indian pilgrims visit OM Beach on Sundays by bus and holidays to see the sites. Best to come here on the weekdays

There are two more beaches—Half-moon and Paradise—each a thirty-minute walk from one another. You can get bottled water and food on all the beaches near Gokarna including the Main beach, Kudle, Om, Half Moon and Paradise beaches.

Mahaballeswara Temple: This Siva temple is said to be next in sanctity only to the Vishwanath Siva Temple in Varanasi. It is often called the Kashi of the South. Hindus come here to perform the death rites for departed ancestors.

The Shri Maha Ganapati Temple is dedicated to elephant-headed Ganesh.

Koti-tirtha Kund is said to have been created by Garuda. There is a Krishna Temple here which is said to be where the Lord went to perform penance after killing Banasura. There is also a temple dedicated to Sri Venkateswara (Balaji).
Ram-tirtha, is said to be where Rama, Sita, and Laksman visited after leaving Lanka. Lord Rama and his brother Bharata are said to have performed penance here. There is a beautiful temple on the hill overlooking the sea at this place.

By train: Gokarna is connected by rail from Karwar, Ankola, Hubli, Mangalore, Kumta and Margao. The Konkan Railway passes through Gokarna - Kumta (35 km) and Ankola (20 km) are the nearest major railway stations. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation operates buses from these places to Gokarna. Gokarna's train station is actually about 8 kilometers away from the town, taxis usually ask for around Rs 250 whereas Rickshaws should be in the Rs 120-200 range (unless you arrive at nighttime during the monsoon). If you want to save some money, just take a right at the road right in front of the train station. Once you hit the main road, there's a bus stop where you can catch a bus that will take you into Gokarna for Rs 10.

By bus: Two buses operate daily from Bangalore to Gokarna — one non sleeper push-back seat delux state transport bus and one non-AC sleeper VRL private transport bus. It is a 12 hour overnight journey from Bangalore to Gokarna. Till now there is no direct rail transport from Bangalore to Gokarna. Private buses also operate to/from Hampi/Hospet. National highway 17 is about 9 km from the town. The Bangalore - Goa highway passes through Ankola which is 20 km from the town.

By air: The nearest airport is in Goa at Dabolim. (Rail link via Margao)