It is believed that, Lord Shiva had given the Atma Linga to Ravan as a gift for his penance, which sits originally in the heart of Shiva. The temple features the cloth which covered the Atma Linga. It is also said that all the Gods, according to the Hindu scriptures attained invincibility and mortality after worshipping Lord Shiva.Karnataka is believed to contain Lord Shiva’s Pancha Kshetra and Murudeshwar temple is one of the Pancha Kshetra of the state, and the four other being Dharmasthala, Nanjanagud, Gokarna and Dhareshwara.The most noticing highlight of the temple is the mammoth statue of the Lord Shiva which has been built such that that the rays of the Sun first falls on the Shiva’s statue. This Shiva statue here at the temple Murudeshwar is the second largest statue of Lord Shiva, the largest being the Kailash Nath Mahadeva statue in Nepal.Inside the main shrine of the temple is a Deep which is believed to be burning the way it burnt when the temple was built. In order to get blessing of the God for prosperity and good luck, people pour oil into the burning Deep and see their image into the oil.The gigantic Gopuram at the entrance is believed to be the second tallest of all the Gopurams in the world and has a height of 237.5 feet while the tallest Gopuram is located at Srirangam temple in Tamilnadu.
Om Namah Shivaya 
