Situated 79 km
from Junagadh and 25 km from Chorwad, the legendary shore
temple of Somnath is one of the twelve most sacred Shiva
shrines in India. It is believed that one can sail from here
to the north pole in a straight line without touching any
land. According to the legend Somnath is as old as creation,
built by none other that the Moon God himself. Somnath was
destroyed and rebuilt several times. Mehmud of Gazni having
heard of its fabulous treasures, raided it in 1026 and carried
away camel-loads of jewels and gold.
Historically
the temple of Somnath was originally built in the 10th century
and underwent successive sacking and demolition followed by
reconstructions. The present shrine called Mahameru prasad was
reconstructed about 25 years ago on the exact spot on the
shore of the Arabian sea, where the original temple was
situated.
How to get there
Air
Nearest
airport Keshod 55 km is linked to Bombay.
Rail
Nearest
railhead Veraval 7 km is connected by train to Ahmedabad.
Road
Somnath
to Veraval 7 km, Ahmedabad 400 km, Bhavnagar 266 km, Junagadh
85 km, Porbandar 122 km
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