The Somnath Temple, situated in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Indian subcontinent in the state of Gujarat, is one of the most remarkable temples of our country. Not only is it considered one among the twelve Aadi Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, but it’s also built on the same holy soil where Lord Shri Krishna undertook his last journey.
Let’s just quickly ponder on the term of Jyotirlinga:
It defines the places which depict Lord Shiva as a fiery column of light. There are twelve such Jyotirlinga which are considered to be holy and divine and each place is named after one of many Lord Shiva’s manifestation.
The Shrine Eternal, another name of this temple, is glorious and eternally sacred monument which have been built and rebuilt quite a number of times and still to this day, it stands as one of the most holy Hindu temples of our land.
Let’s delve deeper into the Somnath Temple’s history and architecture:
This eternally glorious shrine has an equally remarkable past which depicts how this astounding temple survived the attacks of Muslim emperors and Hindu kings yet withstood all those attacks and is standing tall facing the stretch of the Arabian Sea.
Let’s talk about the story of this temple’s origin:
- The legends of the Somnath Temple states that this temple was constructed by the Moon God himself, who married twenty seven daughters of king Daksha who is one of the sons of Lord Brahma.
- Unfortunately, Moon God took a liking for only one daughter of Daksha- Rohini, whilst ignoring the rest of the daughters.
- A furious and aggrieved Daksha cursed Moon God by demeaning him by making him lose his power of light. Following the advice of Lord Brahma, Moon God arrived at the Prabhas Teerth and prayed day and night for Lord Shiva.
- Satisfied by Moon God’s prayer and calls, Lord Shiva relieved him from his curse, following which Moon God built a golden temple, then Ravana built the silver temple finally Lord Krishna built the Somnath Temple with sandalwood, followed by King Bhimdev Solanki who built the temple in stone in the 10th century.
Let’s talk about the Somnath Temple’s magnificent architecture:
- In the past, the Somnath Temple housed a lot of wealth and jewels, unfortunately the temple couldn’t withstand the attacks and the stealing of the Muslim invaders from the period of 11th century to 18th century.
- The Seuna kings of Vallabhi in Gujarat were the first to replace the original structure of the Somnath Temple at around 649 CE.
- The Gurjara-Pratihara king Nagabhata II once again re-built this temple when it was destroyed by an Arab Muslim governor at around 815 CE by using a chunk of red sandstone.
- The Paramara king Bhoja of Malwa and the Solanki king Bhimdev I of Anhilwara again re-built it when it was destroyed and looted by a Muslim ruler around the year 1042.
- The Chudasama king of Saurashtra, Mahipala Deva, re-built the temple when it was ruined by Alauddin Khilji’s army at around 1308 and his son, Khengar installed the Linga.
- During the period of 1375 to 1665, the temple was destroyed and ruined several times by a lot of Muslim invaders and rulers.
- Later in 1783, the Somnath Temple was built to it’s previous glory and grandeur by Raja Bhonsle of Nagpur, Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, Chhatrapati Bhonsle of Kolhapur, and Shrimant Patilbuwa Shinde of Gwalior at a different site just adjacent to the ruined temple.
- In the recent times, the Somnath Temple was built in 1947 by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel which is constructed in the Chalukya style of temple architecture or Kailash Mahameru Prasad Style, reflecting Sompura Salats’ skill, who is one of Gujarat’s master masons.
- The crest of the Somnath Temple rises to a height of 155 feet. A pot vessel is also there called kalash on the top of the temple, which measures around 10 tonnes. The mast of the flag on this summit is 37 feet long and is changed thrice during the day.
- Today, if you visit this temple, there is a photo gallery just at the entrance of the temple, which displays the photos of renovation and excavation of the original ruined Somnath Temple.
Somnath Temple Timings:
Darshan Timing: 6.00 AM to 10.00 PM
Aarti Timing: 7.00 AM, 12.00 Noon , 7.00 PM
Light and Sound show of “Jay Somnath” starts from: 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm
Nearby Temples and Other Holy Destinations that you can’t give it a miss:
- Bhalkha Tirth: Located 5kms on Prabhas Veraval highway. This is the very same location where Lord Shri Krishna was hit by an arrow of a local poacher who missed a shot on a deer and unluckily hit the Lord who was resting in a meditating pose under a pipal tree.
- Dehotsarg Tirth: Located at a distance of 1.5km from Somnath temple. This is where Lord Shri Krishna embarked on his last journey of Neejdham. Lord’s footprint is engraved in this place in memory of his divine journey.
- Prachi Tirth: This is where Lord Shri Krishna preached the lessons of Bhaghavad Gita to Uddhava under a pipal tree. People say, if you visit this sacred destination only once in your life time then it equivalences with hundred times visit to the holiest destination of our country- Kashi.
- The Gitamandir and Laxminarayan mandir Temples: Located in Dehotsarg campus. This is where the messages from the Bhaghavad Gita is engraved in the eighteen marble pillars.
- Shri Parashuram Temple: Located by the bank of holy river, Triveni where Lord Parshuram conducted his long penance and was relieved from the curse of Kshatriya killings by Lord Shiva.
- TreeveniSangamSnanghat: This is the place where three riversHiran,Kapila andSaraswati have conjugated with the Arabian ocean and is considered very holy and divine by the Hindus.
Statue of Shiva inside Somnath Temple
Accommodation Facility in and around the Somnath Temple:
There are a number of 3 stars to 5 stars hotels and guest houses which are suitable for any tourist or pilgrim visiting the Somnath Temple.
To name a few:
- Hotel Kailash
Address: Pathanwada, Near Hotel Avadh,Prabhas Patan,Somnath, Somnath, India – 360050
- Hotel Sitara
Address: B/H Lords inn Somnath, Near Somnath Bypass Corner, P.Patan, Somnath, India – 362268
- Lords Inn Somnath
Address: Veraval Somnath by Pass, Nearby Somnath Railway Station, Somnath, India – 362266
- Hotel Shubh Suvidha
Address: Somnath Bye Pass Corner,Somnath,Gujarat,India, Somnath, India – 362268
- The Grand Daksh
Address: Near Sai Baba Temple, Junagadh Highway, Veraval – 362 266 Gujrat, India, Somnath , Gujarat,362266
In fact, pilgrims can avail the guesthouse inside the Somnath Temple, for more details visit:http://www.somnath.org/Pilgrim_Facilities.aspx
For more hotel information, please visit Make My Trip and Trip Advisor website, where they have given proper details, lodging facilities, room, pricing, etc.
Destination-The Somnath Temple- Ways to reach this holy temple:
- By Air: The nearest airport from the Somnath Temple is Keshod which is 55 km away and is linked to the city, Mumbai from where regular taxis, buses and private cars are plying between Keshod and the temple.
- By Rail: The nearest railway station is 7 km away from the temple at Veraval, from where trains are plying to the city, Ahmedabad and to some other cities of Gujarat.
- By Road: The State transport corporation buses and private coaches run regular service to other cities and states of India like Veraval 7 km away, Mumbai 889 km away, Ahmedabad 400 km away, Bhavnagar 266 km away, Junagarh 85 km away, and Porbandar 122 km away.
Have a great trip!!
Jay Somnath!!
http://www.hindutav.com/the-wonders-of-somnath-temple/
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