Murudeshwar Shiva Statue

The giant seated Shiva statue at Murudeshwar, completed in 2004 and standing over 37 metres tall, was built on Kanduka Hill directly above the Arabian Sea, making it visible for kilometres along this stretch of the Karnataka coast and turning what was a modest pilgrim town into one of the state’s most photographed landmarks.

The statue stands beside the older Murudeshwara temple, whose founding legend ties it to the Ramayana: the demon-king Ravana is said to have been tricked into setting down the sacred Atmalinga here rather than carrying it to Lanka, with the shell it was wrapped in giving the hill its name (Kanduka, “the shell”). A tall gopuram — among the tallest temple towers in the world — and a rooftop viewing gallery reached by lift now flank the statue.

Getting there: Murudeshwar is on the Konkan coast in Bhatkal taluk, just off NH66, with its own railway station; the post office is close to the temple complex.