Somnath Temple is one of the holiest temples of Lord Shiva in India. The most important thing about this temple is that this is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in the country. Located in Gujrat, this shrine is adorned with beautiful carvings, pictures and sculptures of Indian gods and goddesses.
The original foundation of this temple can be traced back to 649 BC, but it can be older than that. This shrine was attacked many times in the past in 1025 by Mahmud of Ghazni, in 1299 by Ulugh Khan, in 1395 by Muzaffer Shah and in 1706 by Aurangzeb.
Although it was attacked and demolished many times by foreign attackers, it was rebuilt every time. The modern Somnath temple took 5 years to build, from 1947 to 1951, and Dr Rajendra Prasad, the president of India on May 11, 1951, inaugurated the temple.
This prominent temple is often addressed as the “Eternal Shrine” just because it has been under attack many times, and every time it was rebuilt. There are many interesting facts about this shrine that many still don’t know. Read on to learn more about Somnath temple facts.
1. The flag of the temple is located at the mast on the pinnacle of the shrine, it’s 37 feet high and is changed thrice a day.
2. There’s a legend around the foundation of the temple. Lord Shiva is known as Somnath here, which means “Lord of the Moon”. The name is related to the legend, which is The Moon was the son-in-law of King Daksha, as his 27 daughters were married to him. However, Moon was not attentive to his wives other than Rohini, whom he cared for. This angered King Daksha and he cursed the Moon so he would lose his radiance. Moon felt dejected so he asked Lord Bramha for help, and he suggested he pray for Lord Shiva. So, the Moon prayed tirelessly to the lord sitting at the spot where Somnath Temple Tour is now situated. Mahadeb became pleased by the devotion of the Moon and wanted to give him a boon. Moon asked him to free himself from the curse, and Lord Shiva freed him from the curse so he could get his radiance back. Out of gratitude for the Lord Shiva, Moon built this temple in gold.
3. Later Ravana built the temple out of Silver, Lord Krishna built it with wood, and lastly, Bheema, one of the Pandavas constructed the temple out of stone.
4. Additionally, a tour of this temple is a very popular one, it’s one of the famous pilgrimage packages in India. Ojas Travel offers this journey in their pilgrimage tourism package.
5. Coming back to the myths, Lord Krishna left his home and ended his earthly miracles at the spot of this temple.
6. There are conflicting stories that Maharaja Mularaja, the Chalukya ruler built the first Somnath temple. Other records say that Maharaja Mularaja renovated the temple and increased it to a bigger size. It’s said that Muhammad Ghazni raided around 20 million worth of dinars treasures from the shrine.
7. As the legend goes, the linga of the Somnath temple is believed to be a floating one and has the magical ability to turn things into gold. According to the myth, it has a hidden Syamantaka mani or a precious stone that can turn objects into gold. This Mani is hidden in the hollow of the Shiv Linga.
8. It is also believed that every time the world is reconstructed by Lord Bramha, the Somnath temple will change as well. When he reconstructs the world, the temple will have the name, Pran Nath Temple.
All these stories, history and legends make this temple one of the top shrines in India. Every year thousands of devotees and visitors come to visit this temple. Ojas Travel offers pilgrimage tours so, everyone can be acknowledged with the deep history and legends of this temple. For more information on pilgrimage tours and trekking in India, contact Ojas Travel today!
