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Prabhas Shakti Peeth

Prabhas Patan near Somnath, Veraval, Gir Somnath district, Gujarat

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Prabhas Shakti Peeth
Photo: Sangita Pujara, CC BY-SA 3.0

Traditions differ: Bharatkosh places this peeth (Devi Chandrabhaga, Bhairav Vakratund) at the Amba ji temple on the first peak of Mount Girnar, Junagadh district. Most lists place it at Prabhas Patan near Somnath.

About

Prabhas Patan, the ancient holy town around the Somnath temple near Veraval on the Gujarat coast, is also a Shakti Peeth. Devotees believe the stomach (udar) of Devi Sati fell here. The Devi is called Chandrabhaga and her Bhairav Vakratund. No large old temple of Chandrabhaga is known today; the peeth is linked with the Triveni Sangam, where the Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati rivers meet before flowing into the Arabian Sea, and devotees honour the Devi there. Most pilgrims combine this darshan with the Somnath Jyotirlinga, the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas.

The story

According to the Shakti Peeth tradition, after King Daksha's yagya Shiv ji wandered in grief carrying the body of Devi Sati. Vishnu ji's Sudarshan chakra then divided the body, and wherever a part or an ornament fell, a Shakti Peeth arose. At Prabhas her stomach is believed to have fallen, and the Devi here is Chandrabhaga, with Vakratund as her Bhairav. Prabhas is among the oldest tirths of India. Tradition tells that Chandra, the Moon, worshipped Shiv ji here to be freed from a curse and regained his light, and so the Jyotirlinga is called Somnath, 'lord of Soma'. The same land is linked with the last days of Shri Krishna: nearby Bhalka Tirth is where he is believed to have been struck by a hunter's arrow, and the Gita Mandir at the Triveni Sangam marks Dehotsarg, from where he left for his own dham. The Triveni ghat is called a 'moksha tirth', where devotees bathe and offer tarpan to their ancestors. Some lists name a different place for this peeth: Bharatkosh gives the Amba ji temple on the first peak of Mount Girnar near Junagadh.

Visiting

October to March is the best time; summers are hot and the monsoon brings rough seas. Somnath and Veraval railway stations are a few kilometres away, and Keshod has the nearest airport. Nearby are the Somnath Jyotirlinga, the Triveni Sangam ghat, Gita Mandir, Bhalka Tirth and the Suraj Mandir; the Gir forest is a short drive away. Dress modestly for temple visits.

Festivals

  • Chaitra and Ashwin Navratri
  • Mahashivratri
  • Kartik Purnima fair at Somnath

51 Shakti Peeths

Sources