Somnath Temple – Aadi Jyotirlinga

Somnath temple located in Prabhas Patan is the Aadi Jyotirlinga – Sanskrit meaning of Aadi is initial or one in this context – of the 12 Jyotirlinga built across India. Somnath temple stands at the shore of the Arabian ocean on the western corner of Indian subcontinent in Gujarat. This tirthdham is almost 2000 years old and finds its reference in the ancient texts like Skandpuran, Shreemad Bhagavat, Shivpuran etc. The hymn from Rig-Veda quoted below mention the Bhagvan Someshwar along with the great pilgrimage like Gangaji, Yamunaji and Eastward Saraswati. This signifies the ancient value of this tirthdham (pilgrim places). According to the records, King Maitre of Vallabhini renovated the 1st temple in 649AD.

The shore temple of Somnath is believed to have been built in 4 phases-in gold by Lord Soma, in silver by Ravi, in wood by lord Krishna and in stone by King Bhimadeva.

It has withstood the six-repeated destruction, desecration, and idol destruction by 7 muslim invader, starting in 1026AD till last destruction in 1665 which left the temple in destructed phase for almost 1000 years. (Read the detailed account in wikipedia under History section). The very existence of this temple is symbol of reconstructive spirit and cultural unity of India. The seventh existing temple is built in the Kailas Mahameru Prasad style. The Iron man of India Sardar Shri Vallabhbhai Patel is the pioneer of the existing temple which was rebuilt sometime in late 1940s till early 50s.

The temple is consisting of Garbhgruh, Sabhamandap and Nrityamandap with a 155F feet high Shikhar. The Kalash at the top of the Shikhar weighs 10 tons and the Dhwajdand is 27 feet tall and 1 foot in circumference. The Abadhit Samudra Marg, Tirth Stambh (Arrow) indicates the unobstructed sea route to the South Pole. The nearest land towards South Pole is about 9936 km. away. This is a wonderful indicator of the ancient Indian wisdom of geography and strategic location of the Jyotirling. The temple renovated by Maharani Ahalyabai is adjacent to the main temple complex.

Stay

We stayed in Somnath for 2 days in Sagar Darshan Atithigruha run by the temple trust. Basic AC room is charged at INR 3000 that provides a nice room overlooking the Arabian Sea and all the basic amenities. I would highly recommend booking this guest house and this is the closest to the temple. You can book a room online through their website or at the reception, however advance booking is recommended as this place is always full. Online booking is only through their trusted website and do not fall pray to other guest house with very similar name. This Atithigruha has an in house restaurant serving good food, so this place is a package in all.

There are many dharmshalas around the temple that provide very basic accommodation with sharing amenities at nominal charges.

There are some good hotels such as The Fern residency (this hotel chain is quiet good in Gujarat), Lords Inn, and Hotel Shivdhara. These and many other hotels are all located next to each other at a distance of 2.5kms from the temple. There are many restaurants in this area that serve good and hygienic Gujarati food for decent prices.

Clothing

The temple has strict policy to wear appropriate clothing where men are women are expected to cover themselves conservatively. Even men aren’t allowed to wear shorts.

Best time to visit

If you are a Hindu, than holy month of Shravan and all the Bhagwan Shiv related auspicious days are best time to visit this temple. But also these are the days when this temple receives most amount of footfall which can be cumbersome to some people.

I prefer to visit temples to spend more peaceful time which is usually in the off-season that is none of these important days, when there are no school holidays, and preferably during beginning of monsoon. We visited this temple in 3rd week of June for all of the three times in two days during which we spent almost 30mins sitting in the temple lawn admiring the temple carvings and enjoying the sea breeze.