Architecture in Gokarna - The Hut Prototype

It was a year ago when I first heard about Gokarna. Ever since I have been wanting to go visit and explore the place. When I finally got the opportunity now, I immediately planned for it and left for Gokarna. I traveled there by bus from Bangalore but I would certainly not recommend traveling by bus on the basis of comfort. The ride was really uncomfortable and hectic. A better option for this would be to travel by train.

The next morning I arrived at Gokarna and I immediately fell in love with the place. The vibe there was so chill and homely which made me feel like I took the best decision to visit this place. Soon after that, I arrived at my stay which was on Gokarna main beach, the view and location of my stay were just surreal. If you’re planning to visit Gokarna anytime soon, I would totally recommend choosing a beachfront stay. After freshening up I headed over to explore all the beautiful beaches of Gokarna and on the way what caught my eye was the unique architectural style and overall planning of this town.

         

The beachfront stays, hotels, cafes, and resorts all looked very similar to each other. Every beach in Gokarna had its own set of beach stays and cafes which were all constructed in a row format next to each other, just a few meters from the shore. The nightlife here is extremely beautiful both to look at and experience. The beachside is completely lit up creating an absolutely eye-catching ambience. The main feature one can notice in all of these structures is that it looks exactly like a hut, and most of these structures are legitimately hut structures, which is why the name – Hut prototype.

The roads connecting different areas in Gokarna go both uphill and downhill, making it an uneven land. It is easily noticeable that the number of vehicles used in this town is very less comparatively as most of the locals choose to walk from one place to the other. The vibe you get here from both the environment and the people would be a mixture of Goa and Kerala. There were a lot of developments earlier in all the beaches here like, Om beach, Paradise beach, and Kudle beach, but most of the old developments have been demolished by the government, leaving most of these beaches with very few developments.

Gokarna isn’t known just for its beaches but is actually a Hindu pilgrim town if we look back at its roots and history. There are a number of temples that are still very famous and a lot of tourists who come to visit as well. The Hindu tradition and culture here are still intact and are followed by the majority of residents. One of the most famous temples of South India, the Mahabaleshwar temple is situated in Gokarna which was constructed in the 4^th century CE. The temple was constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture and comprises multiple shrines facing the Arabian sea. The temple is built with granite, has distinctive features, and also has deities carved in niches.

Apart from the structures and developments, the town itself has a very fresh and calm ambience with a lot of nature and greenery all around. Driving through the town is a form of detox for someone who comes from a city full of chaos. People's love for its nature and its animals here is something all of us should experience and incorporate. The journey through this town is one of the most Indian experiences you can ever have.