The Somnath Temple is the first Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva among the 12 special ones in India. It’s in Gujarat by the sea. People say Lord Chandradev built it. You can read about it in holy books like Skandapuran and Shiva Purana. This Jyotirlinga is important because it represents creation. After India got independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was the Home Minister, rebuilt this temple. Lots of Shiva followers visit this sacred place every day.
Story behind Somnath temple?
Long ago, there’s a story about Chandradev, also known as Soma, who got mad at his father-in-law, King Daksha. Daksha cursed him, saying he’d get weaker every day. Chandradev got scared and said sorry, asking to take back the curse. Daksha couldn’t undo it, but he said Chandradev could escape it by bathing in the sea where the Saraswati River meets. So, Chandradev bathed there in the Arabian Sea and prayed to Lord Shiva. Shiva was happy and appeared there, saving Chandradev. That’s why the place is called Somnath, meaning “Lord of the Moon.”
The oldest Jyotirlinga is Somnath. It’s the first stop on the Dwadash Jyotirlinga pilgrimage journey.
If you don’t have much time, you can visit Somnath and Dwarka in 5-6 days. But if you want to see more places around and nearby attractions, you might need to stay longer.
The Somnath temple was destroyed 17 times because Mahmud of Ghazni, a ruler from Ghazni, wanted to steal India’s wealth. He first attacked in 1000 AD and then attacked 16 more times, with the 16th attack being on the Somnath temple in 1025 AD. Mahmud did this to steal the gold from the temple.
Somnath is 233 kilometers away from Dwarka if you travel by road. If you measure the distance in a straight line, it’s about 211 kilometers.
Here are some cool facts about the Somnath Temple:
- The temple is located in a spot where if you travel south from there, you won’t find any land until you reach the South Pole!
- It’s believed that this place is where Lord Krishna ended his time on Earth and returned to his divine home.
The Somnath Temple is open for darshan from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Aarti happens three times a day: in the morning at 7:00 AM, at noon at 12:00 PM, and in the evening at 7:00 PM. There’s also a light and sound show from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
In Gujarat, there are two Jyotirlingas: Nageshwar Jyotirlinga and Somnath Jyotirlinga.
Deciding between staying in Somnath or Dwarka depends on what you like. Dwarka is famous for its temples, especially the Dwarkadhish Temple.
Which big cities are near Somnath?
- Veraval: Veraval is the nearest city to Somnath and is located just a 7 kilometers away.
- Junagadh: Junagadh is located approximately 90 kilometers northeast of Somnath.
- Rajkot: Rajkot is situated about 200 kilometers northwest of Somnath.
- Jamnagar: Jamnagar is located around 240 kilometers northwest of Somnath.
The distance between Somnath Temple in Somnath and Dwarka is approximately 235 kilometers. If you’re driving via NH51, it would take around 3 hours and 50 minutes to cover this distance.
