About the Somnath Temple
Facing the wide open Arabian Sea, the temple at Somnath is an imposing
structure offering a spectacular sight to the beholders. At a distance of 79
km from Junagadh and 25 km from Chorwad is the temple of Somnath, one of the
12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The legend says, Somnath was built by none
other than the Moon God himself at the time of creation. The remains of the
temple "braved the shocks of time and survived the attacks of
destroyers."
The Legend
Soma is the name for the moon, the son in-law of Daksha. Once Soma
disregarded certain directions of his father-in-law Daksha. As a result
Daksha became angry and cursed him, saying, "Thou shalt wane!" The
moon, who used to shine in full splendour every night till then, started to
shrink. However, before the curse brought about an absolute end to the moon,
many a god appealed Daksha to take back his curse. Daksha asked Soma to take
a bath in the sea at the mouth of the river Saraswati and then to pray to
Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva pleased with his penance restored his light for half
of the month. Hence the deity here is known as Someshwar or Somnath, Lord of
the moon and the place as Prabhas.
It is believed that the Somnath temple here was originally built by Somraj,
the Moon God himself, out of gold, and then rebuilt by Ravana in silver and
then by Krishna in Wood, then by Bhimdev in stone.
Tourist Information
Photography is prohibited inside the temple, and you must leave your camera
at the hut outside.
Other Attractions Near the Somnath Temple
Veraval Beach : Just about 5 km from the Somnath Temple is this
amazing beach, which is great place to relax and refresh your body, mind and
soul.
Not very from the Somnath temple is Bakhla Tirth, where Lord Krishna was
said to have been struck by the stray arrow of a Bhil tribal. The Present
Temple, Kailash Mahameru Prasada is built in the chalukya style of temple
architecture and displays the inherent skill of Sompuras, Gujarat's master
masons. There is a grey-sand beach outside the temple which is part of the
temple's lonely seaside charm.
Ahalyeshwar Mahadev Temple built by Queen Ahalyabai, Gita Mandir, Laxmi
Narayan temple, Baldev Gufa, Mahaprabhuji's Bethak, Triveni Sangam,
Parshuram Kshetra, SUN Temple, Prachi and Shashibhushan temples are other
places of religious significance in and around the Somnath Temple.
Getting There
Air - The nearest airport from Somnath is Keshod 55 km away and
linked to Mumbai. There are regular buses and taxis plying between Keshod
and Somnath.
Rail - The nearest railhead is seven km away at Veraval, which is
connected by train to Ahmedabad and some other cities in Gujarat.
Road - State transport corporation buses and private coaches run
regular service to other cities in the region. Somnath is connected by a
good road network to the other nearby places like Veraval 7 km, Mumbai 889
km, Ahmedabad 400 km, Bhavnagar 266 km, Junagarh 85 km, and Porbandar 122
km.
Accommodation
You might not find a major hotel chain near Somnath. For the pilgrims and
tourists, there are guesthouses, rest houses and inns etc. Services are
simple but reasonable for a comfortable stay. Accommodation options are also
available in Veraval.
