a stroll around Koti Tirth in Gokarna

Koti Tirth is a spring-fed manmade square pond in the center of Gokarna town. for Hindus, especially followers of Lord Shiva it is an important site where many rituals and rites are performed.

we could hear a group of priests chanting a mantra when we arrived. from where we were we could not see them. they were under the roof of a shed-like building that was open to the lake but not the street except for a small opening to the side. i took this shot after they were finished with the ritual.

traditionally pilgrims to Mahabaleshwar temple would take a cleansing bath here before visiting the temple. however some years ago the pond had become so dirty that people refrained.

more recently the pond has been cleaned up and better maintained. those who can swim to the island with a shivling but while we saw busloads of pilgrims to Mahabaleshwar and Shree Maha Ganapati temples only a lone man took a dip after doing his laundry.

the red and white color combination denotes religious importance and there are many temples surrounding the pond.
in general the old colorful dwellings add a pleasant ambience. but one in particular is fully painted in a graffiti like style that contrasts to the point of chaos

Incredible India indeed! perhaps a black-and-white view is more soothing

the old dwellings around the pond are far from pretentious

but are rich with history and charm

on one corner there is a quaint

and rather photogenic little shop

next door a cow was visiting a woman sitting outside

the house on the next corner had this nice mural partially covered by signboards from kanika super mart (which may or may not be the same as kannika super market) along with one that had fallen down.

now we are back where we started. this image is a reflection in a window of the scene in the first photo. there is a lot to reflect on here

this water tank is just around the corner on the road to the market. presumably it is water from the spring that feeds the pond

the temple across the street displays two notices that foreigners are not allowed inside. all Indians regardless of religion are allowed entrance provided they are suitably dressed. i am not sure why this policy is in place but i can make an educated guess.
in the 1960s Goa became an independent nation and quickly became renowned for tolerance and freedom in addition to the lovely climate and beaches. So hippies flocked to Goa and were not necessarily observant of the local traditions. Goa with its tolerant, westly oriented culture was in need of tourist income. so the culture clash was less significant. also the temples of major significance in Goa are far from any beach.

when mass tourism came to Goa many of the hippie-type tourists fled to the equally wonderful beaches of nearby Gokarna. but while the distance in kilometers is not long, Gokarna is far from Goa culturally. free-loving drug-using tourists showing up dressed in skimpy beach attire at temples of major significance to the Hindus was too much for the residents and pilgrims alike. so the government banned foreigners (meaning people with white skin because there are no african or east asians to be seen) from entering some but not all of the temples in Gokarna.