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Vinayaka Temple, Idagunji
Photo: Deepak Patil, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Famous temples · Karnataka

Vinayaka Temple, Idagunji

Ganesha, chief patron deity of the Havyaka Brahmins, on the west coast

Checked 22 Oct 2026 with 5 sources2 min read

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Getting there

  • By air

    Mangalore International Airport and Goa International Airport are among the nearby airports listed for Uttara Kannada district.

  • By train

    The nearest railway station is Manki, a station on the Konkan Railway line.

  • By road

    The temple is about 14 km from Honnavar and 65 km from Gokarna.

On the way

  • The temple is 5 km from a road that branches off National Highway 17 towards the west coast.
  • The temple is about 14 km from Honnavar and 65 km from Gokarna.
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Why devotees come here

The Vinayaka Temple in Idagunji, a small village in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, is one of six Ganesha temples on India's west coast. Ganesha here is the chief patron deity of the Havyaka Brahmins, and more than a million pilgrims visit every year.

Legend says Ganesha came down to earth at this place. Another legend tells how the sage Narada told the sage Valakhilya that worship of Vighneshwara would overcome his obstacles. Narada chose a site for the rite on the banks of the Sharavathi River, at Kunjavana. According to the legend, the gods created the sacred lakes Chakratirtha and Brahmatirtha here.

Devotees built the Ganesh Temple around the 4th-5th century CE, and the government tourism page gives the same period. The temple sits at the heart of many religious legends and beliefs of the region. The central Ganesha image is 83 centimetres (33 inches) tall and 59 centimetres (23 inches) wide, placed on a stone pedestal. Bandhi families, a Dalit community of Karnataka, seek the deity's blessing once marriage negotiations have been concluded amicably. The village lies close to the Sharavathi River, which joins the Arabian Sea.

Tips for your visit

  • Locals believe that visiting six temples in the region in one day, between sunrise and sunset, brings blessings.
  • The circuit of six Ganesha temples starts at Kasargod and passes Mangalore, Anegudde and Kundapura before Idagunji and Gokarna.
  • Murudeshwara is 18.8 km from Idagunji.
  • A Yakshagana troupe named after this temple's Ganesha is based in the nearby village of Gunavante.

Darshan at home

Not in the app yet

Vinayaka Temple, Idagunji is not in the Divya Darshan 360 app yet. These Famous temples temples are, with darshan videos you can watch at home:

In the appChamundeshwari Temple, MysuruChamundi Hill, Mysuru, KarnatakaIn the appDakshineswar Kali Temple, KolkataDakshineswar, North 24 Parganas, near Kolkata, West BengalIn the appShirdi Sai Baba Temple, MaharashtraShirdi, Rahata taluka, Ahilyanagar district, Maharashtra
Get the appAndroid

The app is free, Android only. For darshan as if you are standing there, see the VR box (₹899, or ₹949 cash on delivery).

Questions people ask

What should I offer to Ganesha here?

Devotees consider garike grass (doorve) the best puja offering to Ganesha. It is sold at the kiosks in the temple.

What can I take home from the temple?

Masks made of vetiver, called laavancha, are the souvenirs to take home as gifts from the temple.

Is the Ganesha image here unusual?

Yes. Ganesha is shown here in a rare two-armed standing form. He holds a modak, a sweet, in one hand and a lotus bud in the other.

Where exactly is Idagunji?

It is a small village in Honnavar Taluk, within Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka.

Why is this temple important to the Havyaka Brahmins?

Ganesha is their chief patron deity, known as the Kuladevata.

How we checked this page

On 22 Oct 2026 we checked every fact on this page against these sources, official ones first. Anything we could not confirm is left out.

  1. Idagunji, Incredible India (Government of India) prod.incredibleindia.gov.in
  2. Ganesha Temple, Idagunji, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  3. Idagunji, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  4. Manki railway station, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  5. Uttara Kannada, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org

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