Somnath: The Temple That Has Always Revived

India is a holy land, many religious and holy shrines are established here, which have their own different religious significance and have the faith of millions of people. One such temple, Somnath, is located near Prabhas Patan in Veraval port of Gujarat state. This temple is one of the major pilgrimage sites of Hinduism.

The Somnath Temple: The Shrine Eternal

The Somnath Temple occupies a prominent place in India because it is a sacred place for Hindus and is the symbol of the Indian character par excellence, and this understanding still permeates the north of India. Just think of the number of people who donated to the construction and maintenance of this temple and to its renovation and refurbishment.

Why is Somnath Temple Called an Indestructible Temple?

The history and mythology of the Somnath Temple have always been an interesting area for visitors to the temple and gives it splendour and religious significance. The temple is considered one of the most revered pilgrimage centres in the world and has an illustrious history of religious significance.

Due to the rich and highly prosperous Somnath temple, this temple was broken many times by Muslim invaders and Portuguese, and at times it has also been rebuilt. Attacking this temple by Mahmud Ghaznavi is very famous in history.

History of the Somnath Temple: Destruction & Reconstruction

Located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval port in Saurashtra on the west coast of Gujarat, this temple has been a symbol of the rise and fall of dynasties in history. In ancient times, Somnath temple was attacked and broken by Muslims and Portuguese several times, and it has also been constructed by Hindu rulers.

In the year 1026, Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked the Somnath temple, not only he looted the huge wealth of the temple and destroyed the temple but also took thousands of lives. After this, it was rebuilt by Raja Bhima of Gujarat and King Bhoj of Malwa. The process of reconstruction and destruction of the Somnath temple continued for many years.

Do you know the fact that Somnath temple was in existence since the birth of Christ, it is believed that its second construction was done by some of the Vallabhi emperors of Vallabhi in the late seventh century. After this, in the 8th century AD, the Arab governor of Sindh, al-Junaid, attacked this magnificent Somnath temple and destroyed it. After which it was constructed for the third time, in 815 AD, this holy shrine of Hindus Somnath temple was built by Guru Pratihara King Nagabhatta, he built it using red stones. However, there is no firm evidence of the attack on the Somnath temple by Al-Junaid, the Arabic governor of Sindh.

After this, in 1024 AD, Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked this very magnificent Somnath temple. It is said that Al Baruni, an Arabic traveller visiting India, described in his travelogue the grandeur and richness of the Somnath temple, after which Mahmud Ghaznavi intended to loot the temple with the help of about 5,000 of his companions. In this attack, Mahmud Ghaznavi not only looted crores of the property of the temple, damaged the Shivling and destroyed the idols, but also took the lives of thousands of innocent people in this attack. The agonising attack on Somnath temple by Mahmud Ghaznavi is also very famous in history.

The present Somnath temple in Gujarat was built by the former Home Minister and Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Interesting Facts About Somnath Temple

Some of the most interesting facts about the magnificent Somnath Temple of Gujarat are:

1. Somnath temple, which is associated with the faith of millions of people was earlier known as Prabhaskshetra or Prabhaspatan. This is the place where Lord Krishna left his body.
2. To the south of the Somnath temple in Gujarat, a pillar is built along the sea, with an arrow above it, demonstrating that no part of the land exists between the Somnath temple and the South Pole.
3. Located in this famous temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, Shivalinga has radioactive properties, which maintains its balance above the earth very well.
4. Due to the rich and rich of this temple, it was broken and constructed many times. The incident of looting on this temple by Mahmud Ghaznavi is very much known in history. It is believed that only after this temple became famous all over the world.
5. It is believed that the Deodhar in Agra belongs to the Somnath temple, which was robbed by Mahmud Ghaznavi.
6. The temple holds a 1-hour light show daily at 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm, which shows the history of Hindus.
7. In Somnath Temple, there is a lot of importance of Shraddha in the months of Kartik, Chaitra and Bhadra, during these three months a large number of devotees come here to visit.
8. For security, Muslims have to take special permission to visit this temple, only then they are given entry here.
9. About 200 kilometres from the Somnath temple is the city of Dwarka, where people come from far and wide to visit the temple.
10. Somnathji, located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval port in Gujarat, is the first Jyotirlinga of the 12 major Jyotirlingas of India, after its establishment, the next Jyotirlinga was established in Rameswaram, Dadharaka and Varanasi.
11. Somnath Ji’s temple is managed and maintained by Somnath Trust, the government has made arrangements for the income of the temple by giving land, orchards etc. to the trust.

How to Reach the Somnath Temple?

By air

Located about 55 km from Somnath Temple in Gujarat is Keshod Airport, which is closest to Somnath Temple. This airport is directly connected to Mumbai, after reaching this airport, Somnath Temple can be reached easily with the help of bus and taxi.

By train

The nearest railway station to the Somnath temple is Veraval Junction railway station, which is 7 km away from the Somnath temple by rail route, this railway station is well connected by rail service to major cities of the country including Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Also, check the train between stations to reach Veraval Junction from your nearest railway station.

By road

The Somnath Temple is located about 400 km from Ahmedabad, 266 km from Bhavnagar. Bus services are available from Gujarat to reach this holy pilgrimage from any place. Along with this, there is also a good arrangement for the stay and food of the pilgrims who come to visit the Somnath temple.

It is believed that by simply visiting here, all the sorrows and pains of the devotees are removed, and all their wishes are fulfilled. Bathing in the river near the Somnath temple provides relief from many diseases.