Description :
The Somnath temple, also called Somanātha temple or Deo Patan, is Hindu temple located in Prabhas Patan, Veraval in Gujarat, India. It is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Hindus and is believed to be first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. 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. 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 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 Maru-Gurjara style of Hindu temple architecture. The contemporary Somnath temple’s reconstruction was started under the orders of the first Home Minister of India Vallabhbhai patel and completed in May 1951 after his death.
About the Temple:
Location: Somnath Mandir Rd, Somnath, Gujarat 362268Country: India
Nearest Airport: Porbandar Airport(PBD) is 120 km and Rajkot(RAJ) airport is 200 km away.
Built-In: (Many reconstructions) Present structure 1951
Deity: Shiva
Architectural Styles: Maru-Gurjafra architecture
Temple Timings: 6:00 am – 10 pm
Festivals: Maha Shivaratri
Best Time To Visit: October to February.