Somnath Temple, Prabhas Patan
Lord Somnath (Shiva)
Prabhas Patan, Gir Somnath district, Gujarat
The first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, on the Arabian Sea coast of Saurashtra.
History
Legend says the Moon god (Soma) built the first temple in gold after Shiva cured him of a curse. Historically the temple was attacked many times, most famously by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026, and rebuilt repeatedly by Hindu kings. After Independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led the reconstruction and President Rajendra Prasad installed the linga in 1951. The Baan Stambh (arrow pillar) in the courtyard notes that there is no land in a straight line between the temple and the South Pole.
Architecture
Chalukya (Maru-Gurjara) style, 15 m shikhara topped with a kalash weighing about 10 tonnes; evening sound-and-light show.
Festivals
- Maha Shivaratri
- Kartik Purnima fair
- Shravan month
Videos
Photos
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Plan your visit
Weather at the temple
Directions to Somnath Temple
How to reach
- By air
- Diu Airport, about 85 km; Rajkot, about 200 km
- By train
- Veraval, about 7 km; Somnath station about 1 km
- By road
- Buses from Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Junagadh and Diu.
Near the temple
Rooms, food, bus stands, railway stations, ATMs, hospitals, parkingPlaces come from OpenStreetMap and may be incomplete. Each list has a Google Maps link for more.