Somnath Jyotirlinga | Tirtha Bharat

Overview

Lord of the Moon

Somnath, meaning "Lord of the Moon", holds the distinction of being the first and most celebrated of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The temple stands majestically on the Prabhas Patan coast in Saurashtra, Gujarat, where the waters of the Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati rivers meet the Arabian Sea at a sacred confluence called the Triveni Sangam.

According to the Shiva Purana, the Moon God (Soma) built the original Somnath temple in gold, Ravana rebuilt it in silver, and Krishna rebuilt it in wood. It is said that even the Sun and Moon worshipped Shiva here. The Jyotirlinga of Somnath is unique in that it is one of only three Jyotirlingas located on the western coast of India.

JyotirlingaShaivismSaurashtraCoastal Temple

History

Eternal Resilience

Somnath has been described in the Rigveda and ancient Puranas as an immensely wealthy temple visited by pilgrims from across the known world. Arab traveller Al-Biruni described it as a place of extraordinary devotion in the 11th century CE. The temple was plundered by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1025 CE, an event that left a deep wound in Indian historical memory — but the temple was rebuilt each time it was destroyed.

The temple was demolished and rebuilt a total of six times under various rulers and invaders over a span of a thousand years. After independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel initiated its reconstruction as a symbol of national resurgence. The current magnificent Solanki-style temple was consecrated on 11 May 1951 by President Dr. Rajendra Prasad, fulfilling Patel's dream.

Today the temple complex includes the main Somnath shrine, the Ahibaleshwar temple, the Bhalchandra Ganesh shrine, the Panch Pandava cave, and the Triveni Teertha Ghat. The evening sound-and-light show at the temple narrates its dramatic history against the backdrop of the crashing Arabian Sea.

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