Yana is about 50 km away from Gokarna, and it is one of the major attractions near the area. Rightly so, it deserves to be. Yana's major attraction is the 2 enormous natural rock formations. One of them is named after Shiva, called the Bhiaraveshwara Shikhara and the other one is Mohini Shikhara.
Do watch the video below to see some amazing vlog of Yana and Vibhooti falls.
After Yana, I headed to Vibhooti falls. Although the falls was once hidden, now it has become a very popular tourist attraction. Visit on weekdays to avoid crowd.
Here are some pictures I captured from the places.
The Story of Yana!
There is a nice story related to Yana. If you are interested in the story, do read the section below.
Bhasmasura, by austere penance, obtained a boon from lord Shiva. This boon made it so that when Bhasmasura placed his hand over any one's head, he would burn them up and turn them into ashes (bhasma). It is further narrated that, in order to test his powers, Bhasmasura wanted to place his hands on his patron Lord Shiva's head. He chased Shiva, which unnerved Shiva and prompted him to move from his heavenly abode to earth to seek the help of Lord Vishnu. Vishnu transformed himself to help Shiva, adopting the form of beautiful damsel named Mohini who enticed Bhasmasura with her beauty. Bhasmsura was quite infatuated by Mohini, and agreed to a challenge she issued for a dance competition.
During the dance competition, Mohini cleverly performed a dance bhang ("pose") with hand over head. Without realizing the gravity of this act, the demon king also placed his hand over his head and perished by the fire of his own hands, he was converted into ashes. It is believed that the fire that emanated during this act was so intense that the limestone formations in the Yana area were blackened. The loose black soil or ash seen around the two large rock formations in the area are cited as proof of the legend by devotees who see them as due to the fire and that ashes produced by Bhasmasura death. The two hillocks are also named for this event: the tall peak being Bhairaveshwara Shikhara ("Shiva's hill"), and the smaller peak, a few steps down below, being Mohini Shikhara ("Mohini's hill") where an idol of goddess Parvathi is present.
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