Somnath Temple

Somnath Temple

Somnath is the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, standing on the shore at Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Gujarat. Its position in the list is not arbitrary — the traditional recitation of the twelve begins here — and the temple's own claim to attention is its history of destruction and rebuilding, which is longer and more violent than that of any other Jyotirlinga.

The present temple was completed in May 1951. What stands today is a twentieth-century building on a site whose religious history reaches back well before the ninth century.

🌊 The arrow pillar, and nothing south but sea

The temple's Baan Stambh — the arrow pillar — carries an inscription making a geographical claim: that there is no land in a straight line south from Somnath until Antarctica.

It is a striking thing to find on a temple pillar, and it works as both devotion and geography. The Arabian Sea opens directly in front of the temple with no intervening landmass, which is why the shoreline here feels different from any other Jyotirlinga — the sanctum is a short walk from open ocean, and the aarti is heard against the sound of surf.

Visitors describe sitting by the sea during the evening aarti as one of the best experiences at Somnath, with the sunset and the sea breeze alongside the ritual. That combination — a Jyotirlinga on an open shore — is unique among the twelve.

🏛️ Built by the Moon God

The name means "Lord of the Moon" — Soma (the moon) and natha (lord).

According to the Skanda Purana and the Shiva Purana, the temple was originally built by Chandra Dev, the Moon God, who worshipped Shiva here to free himself from a curse. The tradition holds that a structure existed on the site before the ninth century CE, so the Puranic account sits behind a documented history of at least twelve centuries.

That origin story is what the name records, and it is worth knowing because it explains the temple's identity: this is Shiva as the one who released the moon, on the shore where the moon's namesake built him a house.

🔨 Destruction and rebuilding

The pattern of destruction and restoration is central to what Somnath means, and is the reason the present building is so much younger than its significance. Visitors come for a continuity that the fabric itself does not show.

🇮🇳 The 1951 reconstruction

After Independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel visited the ruins on 13 November 1947 and resolved to rebuild the temple. The reconstruction was carried out in the traditional Chalukya (Chaulukya) style of Hindu temple architecture.

Dr Rajendra Prasad, then President of India, performed the Pran Pratishtha (consecration) on 11 May 1951.

So the temple's current form is deliberately a twentieth-century act of restoration in a medieval idiom — Chalukya style, modern construction, consecrated by the head of state. That is not a compromise; it is the point of the building.

🕒 Timings and the three aartis

Darshan: 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily. Entry is free for all devotees, but visitors must pass a security check.

Three aartis each day:

• Morning aarti — 7:00 AM
• Midday aarti — 12:00 PM
• Evening aarti — 7:00 PM (running roughly to 7:20 PM)

The evening aarti is the one to attend, both for the sea setting and because it leads directly into the light and sound show.

🎇 "Jay Somnath" light and sound show

A sound and light show titled Jay Somnath runs every night from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM, staged with the temple as backdrop and the sound of the ocean around it. It narrates the temple's history, which is the most efficient way to absorb the long sequence of destructions and rebuilds.

It follows the evening aarti directly, so 7:00 PM aarti and 8:00 PM show is the natural evening sequence and the reason to stay late at Somnath rather than leaving after darshan.

🚫 Electronics: leave them behind

Mobile phones, cameras, video recording devices, smartwatches and other electronic gadgets are strictly prohibited inside the temple premises. Photography and videography are not allowed.

Lockers are provided for deposit. This is enforced, and it is comprehensive — smartwatches are included, which catches out visitors who assume a watch is not a camera. Plan to deposit before you queue, not after.

👘 Dress and access

Modest, traditional clothing is expected — avoid short, sleeveless or revealing garments. Footwear must be removed before entering the temple premises.

The temple provides basic facilities for elderly and disabled visitors, including seating areas and staff assistance. Wheelchair assistance is available on request, though subject to availability — so ask early rather than at the gate.

🌸 Festivals

Maha Shivratri (February or March) is Somnath's great occasion and the heaviest period of the year. Shravan (July to August) brings sustained heavy attendance as the month sacred to Shiva. Kartik Purnima (November) is significant at a coastal Shiva temple and draws large numbers for the full-moon observance.

The best season to visit is October to February, when Gujarat's coast is cool and the humidity is manageable.

📍 Prabhas Patan and the wider site

Somnath sits at Prabhas Patan, a tirtha in its own right, and two nearby sites are traditionally combined with it:

• Bhalka Tirth — where Krishna is held to have been struck by a hunter's arrow, a few kilometres away
• Triveni Sangam — the confluence of three rivers meeting the sea, where pilgrims bathe

Dwarka, the Char Dham site, is roughly 230 km south, and Somnath and Dwarka are conventionally combined into a single Saurashtra pilgrimage circuit — the two anchor the western end of both the Jyotirlinga and Char Dham lists.

⚠️ Practical notes

• Stay for the evening: 7:00 PM aarti, then the 8:00 PM show. Leaving after darshan misses what most people remember.
• Deposit electronics before queueing, including any smartwatch.
• Sit by the sea during the aarti if time allows.
• Go early in the morning to avoid both heat and the queue.
• October to February for weather.

Last verified: 2026. Darshan 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM with aartis at 7:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM, the Jay Somnath light and sound show 8:00-9:00 PM, free entry with a security check, and the prohibition on all electronics including smartwatches are consistent across sources. The 1951 consecration date of 11 May and Sardar Patel's visit of 13 November 1947 are documented.