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Somnath
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| About Somnath
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Somnath is one of the 12 jyotirlingas of lord Shiva, offering a holy pilgrimage, a beach holiday and a number of places of historic, religious or scenic importance. The temple has imposing architecture, a 50-meter high shikara tower and a pretty Nandi.
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| Legend
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Legend has it that Somraj, the moon god, originally built the Somnath Temple out of gold. Later it was rebuilt by Ravana in silver and then again by Krishna in wood and yet again by King Bhimdev Solanki in stone in the 10th century.
Mahmud of Ghazni, upon hearing the description of the temple by an Arab traveler - Al Biruni, raided the temple in 1024 AD and looted it, carrying away camel loads of jewels and gold.
Somnath was destroyed six times and rebuilt on every occasion. After the 1706 AD demolition by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, it was rebuilt the seventh time in 1950 AD with the support of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
The temple was so rich that it had over 300 musicians, 500 dancing girls and even 300 barbers - just to shave the heads of pilgrims.
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| Present temple
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Constantly washed by the Arabian Sea, the temples of Somnath were destroyed seven times but were rebuilt each time. The majestic monument as it stands today is a replica of the earlier construction. The present temple Maha Meru Prasad was recently rebuilt on the exact location of the original shrine in accordance with the ancient plants.
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| Location
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25 kms. From Chorwad, Gujarat.
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