Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple Gujarat
The Somnath temple, also called Somanātha temple or Deo Patan, is a Hindu temple located in Prabhas Patan, Veraval in Gujarat, India. It is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Hindus and is the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is unclear when the first version of the Somnath temple was built with estimates varying between the early centuries of the 1st-millennium to about the 9th-century CE. The temple is not mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism as Somnath nomenclature but the "Prabhasa-Pattana" (Prabhas Patan) is mentioned as a tirtha (pilgrimage site), where this temple exists. For example, the Mahabharata in Chapters 109, 118 and 119 of the Book Three (Vana Parva), and Sections 10.45 and 10.78 of the Bhagavata Purana state Prabhasa to be a tirtha on the coastline of Saurashtra.
The temple was reconstructed several times in the past after repeated destruction by multiple Muslim invaders and rulers, notably starting from an attack by Mahmud Ghazni in the 11th century.
The Somnath temple was actively studied by colonial era historians and archaeologists in the 19th- and early 20th-century, when its ruins illustrated a historic Hindu temple in the process of being converted into an Islamic mosque.After India's independence, those ruins were demolished and the present Somnath temple was reconstructed in the Māru-Gurjara style of Hindu temple architecture. The contemporary Somnath temple's reconstruction was started under the orders of the first Deputy Prime Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel after receiving approval for reconstruction from Mahatma Gandhi. The reconstruction was completed in May 1951 after his death.
Many Hindu texts provide a list of the most sacred Shiva pilgrimage sites, along with a guide for visiting the site. The best known were the Mahatmya genre of texts. Of these, Somnatha temple tops the list of jyotirlingas in the Jnanasamhita – chapter 13 of the Shiva Purana, and the oldest known text with a list of jyotirlingas. Other texts include the Varanasi Mahatmya (found in Skanda Purana), the Shatarudra Samhita and the Kothirudra Samhita. All either directly mention the Somnath temple as the number one of twelve sites, or call the top temple as "Somesvara" in Saurashtra – a synonymous term for this site in these texts.The exact date of these texts is unknown, but based on references they make to other texts and ancient poets or scholars, these have been generally dated between the 10th- and 12th-century, with some dating it much earlier and others a bit later.
What is unique about Somnath Jyotirlinga temple?
One of the 12 jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva, Somnath Temple is also the specimen of fine architecture. Dubbed as Eternal Shrine, it is believed to be the place where Lord Krishna ended his Lila and thereafter for heavenly abode.
Where is original Somnath Jyotirlinga?
The Somnath temple is located in Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra, West Gujarat in India – at the confluence of the mythological Saraswati, Hiranya and Kapila rivers – the Triveni Sangam. It is considered to be the first of the jyotirlingas – the first place where Lord Shiva manifested himself.
What is the mythological story of Somnath Temple?
The site of Somnath has been a pilgrimage site from ancient times on account of being a Triveni Sangam (the confluence of three rivers: Kapila, Hiran and Saraswati). Soma, the Moon god, is believed to have lost his lustre due to a curse, and he bathed in the Sarasvati River at this site to regain it.
The Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple has many fascinating stories, and miracles woven around the untold divine power of the temple.
It is said that the famous Syamantak Mani, also called the Philosopher’s stone is safely kept inside the hollowness of the Shivalinga in the temple. The Mani is linked with Lord Krishna and is believed to be a magical stone that can produce gold. Beliefs also state that the stone has many radioactive properties and alchemic associated with it, that can give rise to a magnetic field that can make it stay afloat in the air above the ground.
The original temple hall was supported by 56 pillars and there was only a single deepam that gave light to the entire temple due to the enormous amount of jewels studded on the murtis and walls which reflected the single deepam and gave light to the whole temple.
In the center of the hall, the greta murti of Somnath was made of stone and was 5 yards in height, two of which were sunk in the ground.
The belly of the original murti was broken and looted by Sultan Mahmud as it was hollow and filled with precious gems.
Swami Gajanand Saraswati, a renowned Hindu scholar, states that the temple was first built 7,99,25,105 years. He based this information backed by the mention in the Prabhas Khand of Skand Puran.
Another fascinating fact is that from the place where the Somnath temple is presently based, there is no land between its shore and Antarctica. The Somnath temple is constructed on the Indian region that is the first point on land in the north till the south-pole, on that particular longitude.
As per the Skanda Purana, there have been 6 Brahmas so far and the present era one is the 7th Brahma who is known as the Shatanand. Lord Shiva states that in the 7th Yuga, the name of the temple is Somnath while in the last one it was called Mrityunjaya.
Sree Somanatha Temple Photos Gallery
