Somnath Jyotirlinga

Prabhas Patan, Veraval, Gir Somnath district, Gujarat

Jyotirlinga 1/12
12 Jyotirlingas

Photo: B. SurajPatro1997, CC BY-SA 4.0

About

Somnath is the first of the twelve jyotirlingas of Shiv. The temple stands right on the shore of the Arabian Sea at Prabhas Patan in Gujarat. Close by, the rivers Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati meet at a spot called the Triveni Sangam. The name Somnath means 'Lord of Soma', the Moon. Prabhas is also remembered as the holy place from where Shri Krishna returned to his own abode. The temple has been rebuilt many times over the centuries, so devotees see it as a sign of faith that never breaks.

The story

The Shiv Puran tells that Chandra, the Moon god, was married to the twenty-seven daughters of Daksha Prajapati, but he loved only Rohini. The other sisters were hurt. Daksha warned Chandra more than once, and at last, in anger, cursed him to lose his light. Day by day the Moon grew weaker. Chandra then came to Prabhas and worshipped Shiv with deep devotion for a long time. Shiv was pleased. The curse could not be removed fully, but he blessed Chandra so that his light would fade in one half of the month and grow again in the other. That, the story says, is why the Moon waxes and wanes. At Chandra's prayer, Shiv stayed here as Somnath, the Lord of the Moon.

History tells that the temple was attacked many times, and each time kings and devotees raised it again. The present temple, in the Chalukya (Maru-Gurjara) style of Gujarat, was built after Independence by the Shree Somnath Trust, and its pran-pratishtha was held on 11 May 1951.

Visiting

October to February is the most pleasant time. Wear simple, modest clothes. Close by are the Triveni Sangam, Bhalka Tirth, which is linked with Shri Krishna's last days, and Dehotsarg Tirth. Gir National Park, home of the Asiatic lion, is also not far away.