Somnath is a pilgrimage destination falling within Gujarat’s
Junagadh district. Somnath city enjoys great fame for housing the much revered
Somnath temple; a Jyotirlingam shrine of lord Shiva. The temple makes the key
center of attraction for all tourists and visitors to Somnath. The temple
belongs to Lord Shiva who assumes the avatar of ‘Somnath’ or ‘Lord of the Moon’ at
this place. The spiritual legacy and cultural richness of the temple is immense
and a Somnath Tour is never complete
without paying a visit to the Somnath temple. There are many other small and
big temples in the city. Beaches, museums, etc. make up the other tourist
attractions of Somnath. Here is some important info for tourists wishing to
visit Somnath-
Best Time to Visit Somnath
The best time for a tour to Somnath is around the winter
months; i.e. between months October and March. The temperature during the
winter ranges between 10 degrees centigrade and 32 degrees centigrade. The
weather remains the most travel-friendly during this time. The summers ranging
between months March and June are utterly hot. The smoldering summer heat makes the journey too uncomfortable. Summer temperatures range between 24 degrees centigrade to 41 degrees centigrade and are quite intolerable. The monsoon
months; i.e. between months July and September are characterized by heavy rains
and soaring humidity and that again is an unfriendly weather condition as far
as traveling is concerned.
Places to visit in Somnath
The major places to visit in the city of Somnath are-
Somnath Temple
The shore temple of Somnath is an extremely revered lord
Shiva shrine built in Chalukyan architectural style and rising to about 155ft
in height. The temple enshrines one of the 12 auspicious Jyotirlingams that our
country has and the Lord Shiva Jyotirlingam at the temple is most gorgeously
embellished with ample gold, silver, and floral decorations. According to myths,
this temple was set up by ‘Som’ or ‘Moon God’ in honor of Lord Shiva after
being freed from a curse with the blessings of Lord Shiva and the Moon God had
constructed the temple in pure gold. Next, the temple was constructed in
shimmering silver by Ravana, in wood by Lord Krishna, and in stone by Bhima; one
of the Pandava brothers. In 1995 a complete renovation of the temple was undertaken
for the sake of the pilgrims that gathered at the temple in large numbers.
Junagadh Gate
This century-old gate boasts of the architectural splendor
of the yesteryears and makes the main entrance or gateway to Somnath City and
Veraval. This historical gate features a triple entrance pattern and is
beautifully embellished with intricate carvings. According to historical facts,
Mahmud Ghazni had once destroyed the gate to enter the city and
plunder the temples of the city.
Panch Pandav Gufa
Panch Pandav Gufa is located in the Lalghati region of Somnath City. This cave belongs to the five Pandava brothers namely Arjun,
Yudhistira, Bhima, Nakul, and Sahadeva. This serene cave shrine is backed by a
mythological tale that tells that Goddess Hinglaj had appeared before the Pandavas
in this cave and had promised to protect them during their years of exile. One
has to climb a flight of steps to reach the cave that houses a small shrine
built in honor of the goddess.
Laxminarayan Temple
Laxminarayan temple belongs to the holy duo Narayan; i.e.
lord Vishnu and his consort, Goddess Laxmi and exhibit a modern enough
architectural style. The temple stands by Triveni Teerth and has been set up as
a replica of Badrinath’s Laxmi Narayan temple.
Parshuram temple
Parshuram temple along the river banks of Triveni belongs
to lord Parshuram who after committing the hideous sin of raising a spade on
his own mother and killing her thereafter, suffered from deep remorse and
carried out rigorous penance to get rid of the major Kshatriyahatya
sin. He continued with his penance until lord Somnath responded to his prayers
and freed him from sin.
How to Reach Somnath
Those who wish to travel flight can take a flight to Keshod
airport and then complete the rest of the journey using road transport.
Keshod airport lies closest to Somnath city; i.e. only 50kms away from Somnath.
Those who wish to travel by road can avail public or private buses or cabs to
Somnath from any other part of the state. The Veraval railway station lies closest
to Somnath, at about 7kms away from the city. Those availing train routes can
take a train to Veraval, well connected by rail to the other parts of the
country and state.
Accommodations in
Somnath
Accommodation options are plenty at Somnath ranging from
medium-range hotels to budget hotels. The most popular budget hotels in Somnath
are Avadh Hotel, Ambar Hotel, Somnath Trust, Lilavati guest house, Radhika
Hotel, etc. The popular Deluxe hotels at Somnath are Hotel Shree Hari, Shubh
Suvidha Hotel, Hotel Sukh Sagar, Sagar Darshan Atithi Griha, and Safari Resort,
coming with excellent world-class facilities.
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