Somnath Temple Gujrat Hotels in Somnath Flights Buses for Somnath

The temple city of Somnath is located in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat. The Somnath temple is a very ancient temple that is considered to be a legendary religious center in the western coast. The term "Somnath" stands for the "protector of the moon god" and the temple is said to have been built to protect the moon god, Lord Chandra. It is fine to visit Somnath at any time through the year, but October to March is the best time to visit.

This temple is home to the most sacred Jyotirlinga amongst the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. It is often referred to as the eternal shrine because the Somnath temple was destroyed 6 times and every single time this amazing structure was rebuilt. The first temple is said to be built completely of gold and the second time the temple was said to be built of silver. The present existing temple is the 7th temple and the construction of this structure began in 1974. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this temple is an exemplary example of the beautiful style of the ancient Indian architecture. Constructed in the Chalukya style of architecture, this temple is a perfect illustration of the immense talent of the Sompuras, the master masons in Gujarat. It has an enormous sprawling complex. It consists of a shikhara, garbhagriha, sabhamandap and the nrtiya mandap. The temple has 7 storeys and is 155 feet tall. There is a Kalash (pot) on the top that weight 10 tons. The flag mast on top of the dome like structure is 37 feet long and is changed three times a day.

The location of the Somnath temple is such that there is no mass of land between the Somnath sea shore and Antarctica. An inscription of the same in Sanskrit can be found on the pillar of one of the walls of the temple that protect it from the sea.

The first president of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, who inaugurated the newly constructed temple, said "The Somnath temple signifies that the power of creation is always greater than the power of destruction"

Other Attractions in Somnath

Somnath Museum: The invaluable remains of the previous temples can be found at the Somnath museum. It also displays a collection of sea shells, glassware and other creative objects. Located close to the Somnath temple, the museum makes for an interesting visit.

Veraval Beach: Just about 5 kilometers from the temple this beach is beautiful, refreshing and relaxing.

Bakhla Tirth, Gita Mandir, Laxmi Narayan temple, SUN temple and Ahalyeshwar temple are other significant places in and around the Somnath temple.

Skanda Purana, in a chapter on Prabhasa Khanda, describes the emergence of this Jyotirlinga. Legend goes that the moon was married to the 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati. Amongst all his wives, he had special love towards Rohini and neglected the others. Seeing the negligence of Chandra towards his other wives Prajapati Daksha cursed Chandra that he would lose his beauty and radiance. But because of a moon devoid of radiance and beauty the entire world became lifeless. A disturbed Chandra, came down to Prabhasa with Rohini and worshipped the Sparsa Linga of Somnath after which he was blessed by Shiva to grow and shine in the bright half. As the moon regained his light here, this town came to be known as Prabhasa. Brahma, one of the trinity, installed the Brahmashila, and paved way for the construction of the temple. On the request of the Chandrama and other gods Bhagwan Shankar assumed the name Somchandra (Jyotirlinga) and resided there eternally. He became famous by the name Somnath in the three worlds. Since, it was the Prabhas Kshetra where Bhagwan Shri Krishna performed all his Lilas. In this temple there is a small cave in which a lamp burns continuously.

The Skanda Purana describes the Sparsa Linga of Somnath as one bright as the sun, the size of an egg, lodged underground. The Mahabharata also refers to the Prabhasa Kshetra and the legend of the moon worshipping Shiva.

Somnath Jyotirling has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times in the history far more than any other jyotirlinga.

Accounts of glory and wealth of Somnath by the Arab traveler Al Biruni prompted a visit by Mahmud of Ghazini who ransacked and destroyed the temple in 1025 CE. It was immediately rebuilt by King Bhima of Gujarat and King Bhoja of Malwa.

Somnath temple was destroyed again by Alaf Khan, the general of Allauddin Khilji in 1300 CE. It was rebuilt again by King Mahipala of the Chudasama dynasty.

Somnath shrine was destroyed yet again in 1390, 1490, 1530 and finally in 1701 by Aurangazeb. It was rebuilt with perseverance each time after it was destroyed.

How to get there:

By Air

The nearest airport from Somnath is at Keshod, which is at a distance of 55 kilometers. There are frequent buses plying between Keshod and Somnath

By Rail

The nearest railhead is at Veraval, which is at a distance of 7 kilometers from Somnath. Veraval is well connected to other cities within Gujarat and outside like Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

By Road

Somnath is well connected by good roads to other cities in Gujarat and other major cities like Mumbai. There are many private buses and ST buses that frequently run through these routes.

travel search

video

Somnath

Other Attractions in Somnath

How to get there:

info

trains

partners

cheap flights

hotels

buses