Why Somnath Temple is famous ?

On the walls of the great Somnath temple, along with the Lord Shiva, there are also the figures of Lord Brahma as well as Vishnu and it is also observed. According to source of the different Purana, answering to the question of the Parvati, Lord Shiva discloses that so far the Somnath has been called 8 no of the times.

When the king asked his companions what they had to say about the marvel of the idol, and of its staying in the air without prop or support, several maintained that it was upheld by some hidden support.

According to the reference of the popular Skanda Purana, there have been about the 6 no’s Brahmas. This is the period of the 7th no Brahma who is named the Shatan and. Lord Shiva also discloses that in the period of the 7th Yuga, the perfect name of the temple is the Somnath as well as in the last Yuga the Shivlinga was named the Mrityunjay.

The king directed a person to go and feel all around and above and below it with a spear, which he did, but met with no obstacle.

One of the attendants then stated his opinion that the canopy was made of loadstone, and the idol of iron, and that the ingenious builder had skillfully contrived that the magnet should not exercise a greater force on any one side – hence the idol was suspended in the middle.

When two stones were removed from the summit, the idol swerved on one side; when more were taken away, it inclined still further, until at last it rested on the ground.

Somnath temple is located on the western coast of Gujarat and is one of the oldest and most revered temples of India and finds its reference in the most ancient texts like Shreemad Bhagavat, Skandpuran, Shivpuran and Rig-Veda which signifies the importance of this temple as one of the most celebrated pilgrimage sites or Tirthdham.

This legendary temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times by Islamic kings and Hindu kings respectively.

It is said that the Somnath temple was built by the moon God himself in gold, then by the demon king Ravana in silver, in sandalwood by Lord Krishna and in stone by the one of the rulers of Gujarat, Bhimdeva. It is said that the moon was very proud because of his beauty. Angered by his arrogance, his father-in-law cursed him to decrease and ultimately vanish. He pleaded for mercy and then was told to worship Lord Shiva. His curse was removed partially and he thus built the temple for Lord Shiva.

Most recently it was rebuilt in November 1947, when Vallabhbhai Patel visited the area for the integration of Junagadh and mooted a plan for restoration.

After Patel's death, the rebuilding continued under Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, another minister of the Government of India.

The architecture of the present temple reflects the Chalukya style of construction. The intricate and flawless carvings speak volumes about the skilled artisans of Gujarat. An inscription on the Arrow Pillar on the sea protection wall states that there is no piece of land between the point where the temple stands and Antarctica. The first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad commented that the Somnath temple symbolizes the fact that the power of creation is always more than the power of destruction.

According to historians, the site of Somnath has been a pilgrimage site from ancient times on account of being a Triveni Sangam (the joining of three rivers — Kapila, Hiran and the mythical Saraswati).

Soma, the Moon god, is believed to have lost his lustre due to a curse and he bathed in the river Saraswati at this site to regain the same. The result is the waxing and waning of the moon or the waxing and waning of the tides at this sea shore location.

Ancient Indian traditions maintain a close relationship of Somnath with release of Chandra (Moon God) from the curse of his father-in-law Daksha Prajapati.

Moon was married to Twenty-Seven daughters of Daksha. However, he favoured Rohini and neglected other queens. The aggrieved Daksha cursed Moon and the Moon lost power of light.

With the advice of Prajapita Brahma, Moon arrived at the Prabhas Teerth and worshipped Lord Shiva.

Pleased with the great penance and devotion of Moon, Bhagvan Shiva blessed him and relieved him from the curse of darkness. Pauranic traditions maintain that Moon had built a golden temple.

followed by a silver temple by Ravana, Bhagvan Shree Krishna is believed to have built Somnath temple with Sandalwood.

The research based on ancient Indian classical texts show that first Somnath Jyotirling Pran-Pratistha was done on the auspicious third day of brighter half of Shravan month during the tenth Treta yug of Vaivswat Manvantar.

Swami Shri Gajananand Saraswatiji, Chairman of Shrimad Aadhya Jagadguru Shankaracharya Vedic Shodh Sansthan, Varanasi suggested that the said first temple was built 7,99,25,105 years ago as derived from the traditions of Prabhas Khand of Skand Puran.

One of the 12 Jyotirlingas Shrines of Shiva, Somnath Temple is also the specimen of fine architecture. Dubbed as Eternal Shrine, it is believed to be the place where Lord Krishna ended his Lila and thereafter for heavenly abode. This legendary temple is said to have vandalized numerous times in the history but with the help of zealot Hindu Kings the temple was rebuilt each time.

Thus, this temple is a perennial source of inspiration for millions of Hindus since time immemorial.

The modern day Somnath Temple was built over five years, from 1947 to 1951 and was inaugurated by then President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad.

In 1024, the temple was destroyed by the prominent Afghan ruler, Mahmud of Ghazni, who raided the temple from across the Thar Desert.