Somnath Temple in Gujarat

Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple is situated in Somnath Patan (the south coast of Saurashtra), near Veraval in (Prabhas Kshetra) Kathaiwad district in Gujarat. Somnath is the first Jyotirlinga from 12 Jyotirlingas ofLord Shiva and is a revered pilgrimage center in India.

Legend of Somnath Temple

In Skanda Purana, ther is a story on Prabhasa Khanda, describes the emergence of this Jyotirlinga in Somnath. Legend goes that the moon was married to the 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati. Amongst all his wives, he  special loves towards Rohini and neglected  others. This negligence of Chandra towards his other wives Prajapati Daksha cursed Chandra, he would lose his beauty and radiance. But because of a moon devoid of radiance and beauty the entire world became lifeless. A disturbed Chandra, came down to Prabhasa with Rohini and worshipped the Sparsa Linga of Somnath, after which he was blessed by Shiva to grow and shine in the bright half. As the moon regained his light here, this town came to be known as Prabhasa. Brahma, one of the trinity, installed the Brahmashila, and payed way for the construction of the temple. On the request of the Chandrama and other gods Bhagwan Shankar owned name as Somchandra (Jyotirlinga) and resided there in Somnath eternally. He became famous by the name Somnath in the three worlds. Since, it was the Prabhas Kshetra where Bhagwan Shri Krishna performed all his Lilas. A small cave in In this temple, in which a lamp(Jyoti) burns continuously.

It is believed that the Somnath temple here was originally built by Somraj, the Moon God himself, out of gold, and then rebuilt by Ravana in silver and then by Krishna in Wood, then by Bhimdev in stone.

 The Skanda Purana describes the Sparsa Linga of Somnath Temple as one bright as the sun, the size of an egg, lodged underground. The Mahabharata also refers to the Prabhasa Kshetra and the legend of the moon worshipping Shiva.

 Ransacking and Rebuilding of Somnath Jyotirlinga

 Somnath Jyotirling has been destroyed and rebuilt at a number of times in the history:

The first Mahmud of Ghazini who ransacked and destroyed the temple in 1025 CE, due to glory and wealth of Somnath.

which was immediately rebuilt by King Bhima of Gujarat and King Bhoja of Malwa.

Somnath temple was destroyed again by Alaf Khan, the general of Allauddin Khilji in 1300 CE.

It was rebuilt again by King Mahipala of the Chudasama dynasty.

Somnath shrine was destroyed yet again in 1390, 1490, 1530 and finally in 1701 by Aurangazeb.

It was rebuilt with perseverance each time after it was destroyed

Palitana Jain Temples

Palitana is located in Gujarat, 51 km south west of Bhavnagar Gujarat India.Palitana is a Cluster of famous Jain temples. Amongst all the Jain temples, Palitana temples are considered to be the most sacred. Palitana was the capital of a princely state of the Gohil Rajput clan. It is also one of the greatest tourist attractions in Gujarat State to foreign tourists. Digamber Jain Temple where 9 shrines of all  Trithankaras are being placed. Among all is the 1008 Bhagwan Shantinath which is the principal deity. On the top of the hill 873 temples  were built of white marble, the work beginning in the 11th century and continuing for 900 long’ years. However, destroyed by the Muslim invasions in 14th and 15th centuries, the temples were rebuilt a new in the year 1500. They are unique- in their architecture and sculpture. The ornamented temples look like ivory miniatures in the sunlight, seems to be wedding cake. Notable among the temples are Adinath, Kumarpal, Sampriti Raj, Bimal Shah. The holiest temple among the cluster, according to the Jain pilgrims, is the temple of Adishwar, the first Jain Tirthankar. It is also the most beautifully wrought. The marble image of the deity is bedecked with gold ornaments studded with precious jewels. The largest temple built in 1618 is that of 4-faced Adinath, the first Tirthankara.Bhagawan AdishvarJain Teerth:

This temple is made of white stone that can be seen in Padmasana temple.  There are also some beautiful idols of Yudhishthir, Bheem, Arjun and other Bhagwan Parsavanth idol. On the northern gate of the temple there are foot print of Bhagwan Adinath and Bhagwan Sambhavnath. There are 3745 steps to reach the temple. The town has a good road and rail network that connects it to the other cities of Gujarat. Bhavnagar, the nearest airport lies at a distance of 60 kilometer from Palitana.  Siddha Kshetra Shri Shatrunjaya Teerth is situated on a hill, which is decorated by 3500 temples. Spires of the temples attract pilgrims from a far distance. Nagarjuna founded Palitana, which derives its name from Guru Padalipta or politta. The chief attraction here is the holy Jain shrine Shatrunjay Hill, 3 km away from the railway station. It is on the Shetrunjaya Mountain at a distance of nearly six kilometers near the city of the bank of the river Shetrunjaya. This mountain has 3800 steps. On it, there are 700 temples with summits. 7000 idols are installed in them. The artistry and sculpture of these temples aptly illustrate the ancient art.

The Digamber Jain temple

 The Digamber Jain temple on Shatrunjaya Teerth is an ancient temple, has 9 shrines with various Teerthankaras idols installed. On the main shrine of temple, the magnificent idol of principal deity 1008 Bhagwan Shantinath is installed, this is 42 inch in height; in Padmasana posture made of white stone & was installed in V.S. 1686. According to the inscription on idol, a famous businessman of Ahmedabad installed this.
In this temple, beautiful standing idols of Yudhishthir, Bheem and Arjun are also installed in V.S. 2025, these three Pandavas attained salvation from here. Two another idols of Bhagwan Parshvanath each 24 inch in height in Padmasana posture are installed here, one is called Chintamani Parshvanath and other is called Vighnaharan Parshvanath. Both were installed in V.S. 1734.  On the both sides of northern gate of temple foot images of Bhagwan Adinath and Bhagwan Sambhavanath are installed. On the inner shrine with attractive spires, there are three foot images of three Pandavas are also installed.

Famous Temples of Gujarat

In India Gujarat is a state that magnetizes many tourists from all over the world as it is vibrant state of western India. The architectural beauty of Gujarat temples captures millions of pilgrims to visit this place. The western Indian state of Gujarat invites a number of visitors from across the world as it is one of India’s industrialized states.

Gujarat state is bordered with neighboring country on its West Pakistan and is bounded by Indian states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Gujarat is one of the most diverse states in India With various temples abode of the various gods and goddesses. A visit to these sacred places in Gujarat fills with devotion and love for the Almighty.

Famous temples of Gujarat:

Akshardham Temple
Dwarkadhish Temple
Ambaji Temple
Girnar Temple
Ranchhodraiji Temple
Sun Temple
Somnath Temple
Swaminarayan Temple
Chaumukh Temple
Bala Hanuman Temple
Parsi Fire Temple
Bhrigu Rishi Temple
Gangeshwar Temple

Akshardham Temple:

The Akshardham Temple is located in the capital city at Gandhinagar in Gujarat state. The main feature of Akshardham Temple is it educates enshrines with Lord Swaminarayan. It is an elaborately carved building constructed with pink sandstone with great creativity. The temple was built to tribute to the birth bicentenary of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

Dwarkadhish Temple:

India’s biggest and ancient Hindu pilgrimage place is Dwarkadhish Temple located at Ambaji town in Gujarat which is referred as Swarna Dwarka because of its richness. Dwaraka city is known all over the world with its Dwarkadhish temple enshrined with ‘Lord of Dwaraka’ Lord Krishna. This Dwarkadhish temple is also known as the Jagat Mandir or the temple of the world. The Dwarkadhish temple was built over 1400 years ago.

Sun Temple:

The Sun Temple in Gujarat enshrines Lord Sun with its reminiscence of art and architecture. The Sun temple is one of the finest Hindu temples in Gujarat, built by the great Solanki dynasty. The Konark Sun temple in Orissa temple is similar to the Sun temple in Gujarat. The Sun temple is the appropriate venue for Dance festival conducted in January every year. The exterior of the sun temple are carved showing demons and evolving gods.

Somnath Temple:

The Somnath Temple is located in Junagadh district of Gujarat. This Somnath Temple enshrines deity Lord Shiva which is very significant in its construction. The Somnath temple is one of the twelve most sacred shrines where people cannot resist visiting to this temple. The Somnath temple contains the Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva. Somnath temple was rebuilt and destroyed eight times.

Swaminarayan Temple:

Swaminarayan Temple is located in the old Ahmedabad city in Gujarat. The Swaminarayan Temple looks like grand haveli with glorious, multicoloured, woodcarved.

Bala Hanuman Temple :

The Bala Hanuman Temple is located in the southeastern side of the Ranmal lake. The Bala Hanuman Temple earned a place in the Guiness Book of World Records.

Chaumukh Temple:

The Chaumukh temple in Gujarat is four-faced with its largest Khartarvase tuk on the northern ridge. It was constructed by a rich banker of Ahmedabad named Devaraj in 1618 A.D. The Hindu shrine Chaumukh temple has entrances from all the four sides to the antarala. There are about ten recesses which are meant for the images of Teerthankars. The pillars supporting the verandah are richly carved with flowered patterns, while the bracket capitals support musicians and dancing figures

Ambaji Temple:

Ambaji temple in Gujarat is located at Ambaji town, in the Banaskantha district. The Ambaji temple enshrines the Mother Goddess Ambe Mata. Ambaji temple is a popular pilgrim place for Hindus is considered as one of the Shakti Peethas in India.

Girnar Temples:

Girnar temple in Gujarat is one of the holiest place. Girnar temple is located near Junagadh in Ahmedabad. Girnar temple is a holy place for both Hindus and Jains.

Parsi Fire Temple:

The Parsi Fire Temples spread the message that fire is one of the important elements of our life. In Parsi religion it is believe that there is a ceaseless battle between good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (another God). The temple does not have complex structure yet its simplicity attracts many tourists.

Bhrigu Rishi Temple:

Bhrigu Rishi Temple in Gujarat is located in Bharuch on the banks of river Narmada. Maharishi Bhrigu attained sainthood by reaching at a balance between wisdom and activity in his life.

Gangeshwar Temple:

Gangeshwar Temple in Gujarat enshrines lord Shiva and lingam. Gangeshwar Temple is lulled by the crystal clear waves of the sea the five well-defined lingas are worshipped by the devotees. It is believed that Pandavas has brought these lingas into existence during their secret stay in the jungle.

Ranchhodraiji Temple:

Ranchhodraiji Temple is located in Dakor major commercial center in the Kheda district of Gujarat. The small shrine of the initial Ranchhodraiji Temple has now been enclosed in a huge complex.