About Somnath temple

The Somnath temple located  Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. Somnath means "Lord of the Soma", an epithet of Shiva. The temple is built in the chalukya style of architecture.

Legend has it that Lord Shiva’s Kalbhairav Linga is also situated at Prabhas. , the Moon god, had been cursed by Daksha that he would wane. But the gods requested him to have mercy and hence Daksha told Soma that he should bathe in the sea and pay homage to lord Shiva.  The alternative names Someshvar and Somanath ("lord of the moon" or "moon god") arise from this tradition.

Many Muslim kings had looted this temple within the course of time. The Muslim ruler Aurangzeb destroyed the temple which was later rebuilt to its same glory adjacent to the ruined one by a joint effort of Peshwa of Pune, Raja Bhonsle of Nagpur, Chhatrapati Bhonsle of Kolhapur, Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore &Shrimant Patilbuwa Shinde of Gwalior.

This temple was looted, resurrected and built almost 17 times. Probably the best example of Indian architecture, this temple is definitely awe inspiring. It was not until 1950 that the construction of the present day temple began in which, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had the lion’s share.

This is also the same place where Lord Krishna, mistaken for a deer, was shot and thus, Krishna left for his heavenly abode.