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Somnath temple of Gujarat is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva which is situated 79 Kms. from Junagadh and 25 Kms. from Chorwad. Somnath Temple is located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval and is one of the most legendary temples of the western coast of India.

The legends says that Somnath is as old as creation which is built by none other than the Moon God himself. The remains of this temple of Somanath depicts the story of a city which withstood the shocks of time and survived the attacks of destroyers. The temple has an imposing architecture and is a beautiful sight facing the blue expanse of the Arabian Sea. A short distance from the Somnath temple is Bakhla Tirth located, where Lord Krishna was said to have been struck by the stray arrow of a Bhil tribal. The present Temple, Kailash Mahameru Prasada is built in the chalukya style of temple architecture and reflects the inherent skill of Sompuras, Gujarat's master masons.


Somnath Temple of Lord Shiva is a very much ancient temple of India located in Gujarat and stands as a famous landmark of the Indian history. Somnath Temple is being regarded as the ideal sacred place of the Hindus that survived the ravages of time. The study of Indian history reveals that the Somnath Temple was invaded by the different conquerors who came to India and even some looted its wealth and others destroyed some parts of it. Many legends are attached to the Somnath Temple regarding its origin and existence.The other names of the temple of Somnath are Deo Pattan, Prabhas Pattan, or Somnath Pattan. In the past, the Somnath Temple was considered as the treasure trove of wealth and goodies that were looted away by Muslim rulers. The Somnath Temple is an ideal example of the ancient Indian temple architecture. The Somnath Temple is home to one of the twelve 'Jyotirlingas', which is considered to be the most sacred lingas in the Hindu pantheon.

It was believed that the Somnath Temple or Somnath Pattan was popular even in the ancient times. Revenues in those days were collected from 10,000 villages to maintain the Somnath Temple. The temple was visited by the people from all parts of the country even in the ancient times.

The Somnath Temple is known as the eternal shrine whose glory and fame are legendary. It is believed that Somraj, the moon god, built the Somnath Temple or the Somnath Pattan out of gold. It was rebuilt by Ravana in silver. Again Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu built it in wood. Further in the 10th century it was rebuilt in stone by King Bhimdev Solanki.

Soma is the name of the moon, the son in-law of Daksha. Once Soma had disobeyed a certain instruction given by his father-in-law. Later then Daksha was so angry that he cursed him, saying, "Thou shalt wane!" The moon, who used to shine in full splendor every night till those days then , started to shrink. However, before such a curse brought about an absolute end to the moon, many a Gods requested Daksha to revoke his curse. Then Daksha asked Soma to take a bath in the sea at the mouth of the river Saraswati and then asked to pray to Lord Shiva. Hence at Prabhasa, Shiva came to be known as Somanath, the Lord of the Moon.

Somnath temple is considered as the most revered and holy shrine in the country, as it is one among the twelve prominent Jyotir-lingas which have a special reference for the Hindus. The Somnath Mandir finds proud mention in the Rig Veda and even Somnath means `the protector of Moon god`. Very much celebrated city of Somnath lies along the southern shores of Saurashtra, Gujarat. It has been said that people from the remotest parts of the country come here to worship at Somnath.

It has also been believed that the Somnath Temple was first built with gold by Moon god with help of silver by Ravana, with sandalwood by Lord Krishna and with stone by Bhimdeva who was the Solanki ruler of Gujarat. During the 1950 the construction of the present day temple began. Today it is the 7th temple built to commemorate the grandeur of Lord Somnath who was also known as Bhairaveshwar in the Satya Yug, Sharavanikeshwar in the Treta Yug and Shringaleshwar in Dwapar Yug.

The present temple, Kailash Mahameru Prasada, is built in the style of architecture in Chalukya dynasty and indicates the skill of the Sompuras, Gujarat`s master masons. The apex of the temple rises to a height of 155 feet. There is a kalash (pot vessel) on the top, which measures 10 tons. The flag mast on this pinnacle is 37 feet long and is changed thrice during the day. The temple is situated at very extraordinary place that there is no land in between Somnath seashore to Antarctica.

Nearby tourist places to Somnath Temple Gir Wildlife Sanctuary Dwaraka Gandhi Nagar

Such an inscription usually in Sanskrit is found on the arrow-pillar erected on the sea-protection wall at the Somnath Temple.

One can find many might major hotel chains near Somnath. For the pilgrims and tourists, there are many guesthouses, rest houses and inns which are available at reasonable rates. Services are simple but reasonable for a comfortable stay. Accommodation options are also available in Veraval nearby.

• Through Airways - Through Air, the nearest airport from Somnath is Keshod 55 km away which is linked to Mumbai. There are regular buses and taxis plying between Keshod and Somnath.


• Through Railways- Through Railways, the nearest railhead is 7 km away at Veraval, which is connected by train to Ahmedabad and some other cities in Gujarat.


• Through Roadways- By the way of road, the State transport corporation buses and private coaches run regular service to other cities in the region. Somnath is connected by a good road network to the other nearby places like Veraval 7 km, Mumbai 889 km, Ahmedabad 400 km, Bhavnagar 266 km, Junagarh 85 km, and Porbandar 122 km.