A Day of Soloing in Gokarna: Achieving Nirvana

by Tanay Sengupta (India)

A leap into the unknown India

November 23, 2018 I had heard a lot about Gokarna, a small town in Karnataka, located at the coast of the Arabian sea. The town is one of the most well-known pilgrimage destinations in India and is home to the Mahabaleshwar Temple; a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity, Shiva. It is also home to some of the most exotic sun-kissed beaches in India; Om beach, Half Moon beach, Paradise beach and, probably the best of the lot, Nirvana beach. After knowing about the town, I wanted to make my way there and see it for myself. Thanks to the modern facilities and mobile applications, it didn't take long to board a bus to this port town. At an affordable price of INR 550, it was a rather simple 9-hour journey. The bus dropped me at the Gokarna check post, which is at the outskirts of the town. The check post has an auto-rickshaw stand next to it to help you commute in the town. As humble as they are, the auto auto-rickshaw drivers will give you a small tour of the town at a fair price, while a trip to the nearby beach will cost you somewhere between INR 70 and INR 100. I began my beach tour with one of the most commercialized beaches in the town, the Gokarna Beach. As you would expect from a commercialized beach, it was bustling with tourists from all over the world. I was even asked for directions by some foreigners along the way. Unfortunately, much like them I was also a traveler. So, I couldn’t really help them. So, I focused on what I could do, explore. Moving west from Gokarna beach, I went to the second most popular beach in Gokarna, Kudle beach. If you love seafood and don't mind getting down a few on the brewed drinks, then Kudle is the place for you. Kudle also boasts off a string of affordable huts where you can stay. After spending some time at Kudle, it was time to sail. Kudle beach has ferry rides for an affordable amount. After a short 20-minute ride, I landed at the Om beach, named so because of its shape. A highly recommended place for trekking and relaxing. Unfortunately, with only a limited amount of time in my hands, I couldn’t take part in them. While boarding the ferry again, I asked the sailor his recommendations among the beaches and he seemed to have a clear favorite. “If you like serenity, peace and some quiet time then Nirvana is definitely for you”, he said with an amiable tone. I thought of visiting that at the end as Half Moon and Paradise were on the way to Nirvana. People in Gokarna sure like to pick odd names for their beaches; Half Moon Beach was one such example. The shape of the beach could remind you of a half-moon on a clear night sky. Subtly quieter compared to the previous beaches, Half Moon Beach had its own set of visitors, people who enjoyed a quiet time. I spent a good amount of time there. Oh, and there were some small eateries at the beach that served delicious roasted squids. Of course, I had to try some. After about an hour we set out again, this time our goal was the Paradise Beach. Once a famous traveler and hippie hotspot, Paradise beach is now more of a place for trekkers and explorers and of course, tourists. While a part of me wanted to land on Paradise, my mind was stuck on what the sailor had told me about Nirvana. Therefore, I simply waited in the boat till we started moving again. It was almost evening and I wanted to see the sunset from Nirvana. After quite some time worth the ride, we finally achieved Nirvana (pun intended). A silver sandy beach, with a quiet atmosphere and probably the widest in the row. I sat there gazing at the sunset until it was quite dark. After an hour or so, I asked the sailor to take me back to the Kudle Beach. Hey, a traveler must stay somewhere, right?