Somnath - Abode of Lord Shiva

One of the 12 Jyotirlings – places where Shiva is believed to reside, Somnath is a place of great significance for Historian and the pilgrims as well. Situated close to Prabhas Patan in Gujarat, Somnanth is known for its temples. Historically, Somnath was demolished a number of times by Mahmud of Ghazni. However, the present day temple was last reconstructed in the year 1950. At the time of country’s independence only relics of the deserted temple stood at the site. Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel visited Prabhas Patan and pledged to reconstruct the temple. On advice of Mahatama Gandhi, Sardar Patel set up a trust for collecting donations to construct the temple. Today, a statue and a plaque outside the temple entrance commemorate Sardar Patel’s role in its reconstruction.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Somnath temple is believed to one of the 12 places in the country where Shiva reside. Devotees also believe that this Jyotirling is the first to emerge out amongst the entire dozen lingas. Legend has its that Soma, the Moon God, married the 27 daughters of King Daksha. Of all the sisters, Rohini was pretties and dearest to Soma. So, the other 26 sisters complained about this to their father, the king cursed Soma – the moon – to wane steadily. As the moon dimmed and nights became darker, panic spread. All the gods rushed to Shiva for help, who perform Soma to perform penance. Soma built a lingam on the seashore in Prabhas and worshipped Shiva for six months. At last, Shiva granted Soma a boom that he would wax and wane cyclically every month. Later the place came to be known as Somnath, as the word means Soma’s lord – Shiva.

Other Temples in Somnath
Of all the temples at Prabhas Patan, Somnath is the most popular and magnificent temple. Somnath temple is also the youngest temple, dates back to up to 800 years old. Just 100 yards from Somnath temple is a small temple built by Ahilya Bai Holkar, queen of Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh. Further down the road lies Triveni Ghat – a confluence of the sea and three rivers namely Hiran, Saraswati and Kapila. Parallel to Hiran there is a row of temples, the most important among them is a small cupola called Dehotsarg. Dauji ki Gufa (Balram’s Cave) is another temple close to it. Prabhas Patan also has a sun temple, which looks older than any other surviving structures there.

Factfile
Somnath is situated at a distance of about 400 km from Ahmedabad, which can be covered by road or rail. State transport buses and private luxury coaches connect Somnath to important places of Gujarat. As there is no direct bus service to Somnath, so you have to reach Porbandar first. From Porbandar bus services are available to Veraval. You have to take auto-rickshaws to cover the seven km stretch between Somnath and Veraval.