Somnath Temple Tour in Gujarat

Somnath Temple

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.