-: Hindu Temples :-
| Mahakaleswar | Bhimashankara | Kedarnath |
| Somnath | Mallikarjuna | Omkaresswar |
| Nagneswar | Trayembakeswar | Rameshwaram |
| Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga | Kashi Vishwanath | Grishneswar |
Somnath
12 Jyotirlingam of Lord Shankar
 |
The Somnath Temple located in the Prabhas
Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India
is the most sacred of the twelve Jyotirlings (lingas of light) symbols of
the God Shiva. It is mentioned in the Rig Veda. Somnath means "The Protector
of Moon God". The Somnath Temple is known as 'the Shrine Eternal', as
although the temple has been destroyed six times it has been rebuilt every
single time.
| Name: | Somnath |
|---|---|
| Creator: | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (present structure) |
| Date built: | 1947 (Present structure) |
| Primary deity: | Shiva |
| Architecture: | Chalukya |
| Location: | Veraval, Gujarat, India |
| Website | www.somnath.org |
Significance
Hindu mythology states that years ago, the Moon God Chandra, being arrogant
about his beauty, was cursed by his father-in-law Daksha to wane. The Moon
then prayed to Lord Shiva at the Prabhas tirth who then removed the curse
partially, thus causing the periodic waning of moon.
It's been said that Somnath Temple was first built with gold by Moon God,
with silver by Ravana, with sandalwood by Lord Krishna, and with stone by
Bhimdeva (Solanki Ruler of Gujarat)
History
The Someshwar Mahadev temple stands tall among the temples of India. The
construction of the present temple in Junagadh district began in 1947. It is
the seventh temple built to commemorate the glory of Lord Somnath who is
said to have known as Bhairaveshwar in the Satya Yug, Shravanikeshwar in
Treta Yug and Shrigaleshwar in Dwapar Yug.
Architecture
The Present temple, Kailash Mahameru Prasada, is built in the Chalukya style
of temple architecture and reflects the skill of the Sompuras, Gujarat's
master masons.
The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in between from
Somnath seashore to Antarctica. Such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on
the ARROW-PILLAR erected on the sea-protection wall at the Somnath Temple.
The Darshani Gates of the Golden Temple in Amritsar are the Somnath Temple
Gates, which were brought back by the army of the mighty Jat-Sikh King
Maharaja Ranjit Singh from Afghanistan.
In 1951 Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, who performed the
Jyotirling-Pratishthapan ceremony of the new Temple said, "The Somnath
Temple signifies that the power of creation is always greater than the power
of destruction."
How to Reach Somnath
Air - The nearest Airport is at Diu, (90 km ) which is connected with
Mumbai.
Rail - Before Veraval (5 km) was the closest Railway station. However now,
Somnath itself is a new railway station as of 16 October, 2008.
Road - State transport buses and private luxury coaches connect various
centres of Gujarat to Somnath