Narayana Bali & Sarpa Samskara at Gokarna
Rites performed at Gokarna by named purohits — about 480 km from Bangalore, and close enough that most families can be there. The full price is published before you book, and nothing is asked of your family on the day.
Gokarna, Karnataka
Gokarna sits on the Karnataka coast, and the Atmalinga at the Mahabaleshwara temple is the reason it is there at all. Ravana carried the linga south on the condition that it never touch the ground before he reached Lanka; Ganesha, appearing as a boy, took it from him and set it down. It has not moved since. Ravana pulled at it hard enough to twist it, which is how the god there came to be called Mahabaleshwara — the lord of great strength.
The rites themselves are performed at Koti Tirtha, the tank beside the temple. Gokarna has been called Dakshina Kashi for as long as anyone has been writing it down, and for families in the south it has always been the place for the observances the ordinary calendar has no room for.
It is also, practically, about 480 km from Bangalore — a drive rather than a flight and two days away from work. For most families here that is the difference between attending the rite and reading about it afterwards.
These rites are being prepared. Contact us and we will arrange one for your family in the meantime.
The purohits who perform your rite
Named and shown here before you book, not described as "experienced pandits" and left at that. Which of them takes your booking depends on the date you choose — ask for a particular purohit and we will tell you honestly whether he is free.
From Gokarna
Photographs from the rites as they are actually performed at Gokarna — the mandalas drawn for Ashlesha Bali, the havana, the offerings. Everything else on this page is a promise; this is the part you can see for yourself.
Questions families ask
Will we be asked for more money on the day?
Not by us, and not by the purohits we send you to. These places have a genuine reputation for it, which is exactly why we publish the whole price in advance rather than a range. If anyone asks your family for more on the day, tell us and we will deal with it.
Do we have to travel there ourselves?
No. Every rite here can be performed on your family's behalf. We take your gotra, the ancestors' names and the sankalpa details, and send photographs and video of the ceremony afterwards. This is how most families living abroad arrange it.
Can the rite follow our own tradition?
Yes. Tell us at booking whether your family is Smartha, Madhva, Sri Vaishnava or Iyengar, and the paddhati is observed accordingly. Most providers will not think to ask.
How do we pay?
A 40% advance confirms the booking, and the balance is paid after the ritual is performed. The amount shown on each rite's page is the whole amount.