Somnath - Gujarat Tour

Somnath is located near Veraval and is about 80 kms from Junagadh. Somnath consists of a few streets leading away from its phoenix like temple. The rugged sea below gives it a lonely, wistful charm. The pilgrim trade is constant, but merchants are relaxed, perhaps in deference to the shadows cast by the awe-inspiring temple. Somnath is mainly known for the legendary shore temple of Somnath, which is dedicated to the Lord Shiva. Veraval-Somnath is a city on the west coast of India in the Junagadh district in the state of Gujarat. The Somnath Temple located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval is the most sacred of the twelve Jyotirlings (lingas of light) of the God Shiva. It is the first Jyotirling. Tourist Attractions in Somnath The various tourist attractions in Somnath are the Somnath Temple, Bhalka Tirth and Prabas Pata Museum. The Somnath temple is one of the twelve most sacred shrines dedicated to the Lord Shiva. The temple contains the jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva. The Somnath temple was rebuilt and destroyed eight times. This temple was finally rebuilt in 1950 with the support of Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel. The current temple was built as per the traditional designs on the original site by the sea and is a serene, symmetricla and sinuous structure. Today, this majestic temple is a replica of the earlier temple. At Bhalka Tirth, the Lord Krishna was mistaken for a deer and wounded by an arrow. Shri Somnath Temple Somnath temple is one of the Jyotirlingas of God Shiva in India. This temple is located at Sea side at west coast of Gujarat State. List of items not allowed inside the temple. West belt, Mobile phone, Camera , shoes. There are free stalls available to deposit your shoe and other items. Lockers are available to keep your camera and phones before entering to temple complex. Pointing to South Pole Within the temple complex there is arrow mark pointing to south pole. It says  The light path stretching without obstruction up to the south pole over the end of the ocean. Arati timing at Somnath temple. Morning 7.00 AM, 12 Noon & Evening 7.00 PM  Darshan timing is morning 6.00 AM to 9.30 PM  Outside the main temple complex there is a large display board where you can have clear view of the Shiv Linga inside and watch Arati.  After visiting the temple you can walk around the main temple and see the exhibition of famous Shiva temples including all Jyotirlingas around India. Light & Sound show at 7.45 PM Nearly one hour show , ticket cost is Rs 25/- per head and half ticket is Rs 15/- . This show tells about the mythological story and importance of the locations. It narrates about the Pravas thirtha where Lord Krishana left his mortal body and returned to heaven. The history of Somnath temple and the attacks ( demolition ) it suffered in the hands of various rulers. Many kings of Gujarat area tried to rebuild the temple at different stages and finally after independence on the leadership of Sardar Valav Bhai Patel and under the construction supervision of Mr … the present temple came into shape. There is a statue of Sri Valav Bhai Patel at the Main gate of the temple  This temple is provided with elaborate security arrangements from all corners of the temple. All devotes are passed through security check before entering into main complex.  Tourist places around Somnath. Somnath is also known as PRABHAS TEERTH. This place is located at Sangam of three rivers known as Triveni ghat. Around the temple complex you will be approached by several Auto drivers offering you local trip to various temples and pilgrim place. Going around Somnath by bus There is a bus service starting from the main Somnath temple to take you around these pilgrim places operated by local body and the ticket cost is Rs 20/- per head. Bus timing for Somnath Darshan ( tourist places around Somnath )  8.00 , 9.00 , 11.00 AM, 2.PM & 4.30 PM ( check the exact timing ) Taxi will charge nearly Rs 150/- per head.  It will take nearly two hours to cover all these places.  List of Tourist Points around Somnath Old Somnath temple ( Near main temple ) Triveni Sangam ( three rivers Hiran, Kapila & Saraswati ) joins Sea here Saradamath Surya temple ( sun temple ) & Mata Hinglaj Mataji Gufa Geeta Temple Baldevji Gufa ( cave ) Laxminarayan Mandir Mahaprabhuji Bethak Krishna Paduka Sasivusan mahadev somnath Bal Gangeshwar temple somnath Veneshvar Mahadev temple At Bhalka Tirth Lord Krishna got hit by the arrow on his feet fired by Jara Savara , who has mistaken his feet at ears of a deer. A beautifull image of Lord krishan sleeping below a tree with Jara Savara is on display here.  Shri Golokdham – Dehotsarga , Geeta Bhavan & Bhaladev Ji Gumpha ( cave ) Lord Krishan elder brother Sri Bhaladv Ji who was the incarnation of Seshnag ( Snake king ) has vanished through a cave located near Geeta Mandir. Foot Print of Lord Krishna is one of the sacred place for all devotees. Where to stay at Somnath. There is a complex maintained by Somnath trust and you can book online for accommodation. Close to the temple in narrow lanes there are several budget hotels available. You can walk to temple from here. Identity proof is required in all hotels. Hotel will retain one copy of your identity proof. Accommodation provided by Somnath Trust There are three hotels maintained by Shri Somnath trust. Two budget hotels LILAVATI ATITHI BHAVAN & Shree Somnath Maheswari Samaj Atithi Gruh are located infront side of the Somnaht temple ( Rs 600 & 700 ).  The third one Shri Sagar Darshan Atithigruh is the best location and hotel to stay at Somnath.  At a price of Rs 1500/- you will get specious rooms with all facilities. All rooms have sea facing balconies. Just at the back side of the temple you can easily walk into the temple complex. As you will be passing through the temple area take the vehicle pass by showing your booking receipt at the reception counter of Somnath trust at front side of the temple.  You can watch sunset from your room balcony.  Somnath Temple  The legendary shore temple of Somnath is located near Veraval and is about 80 kms from Junagadh. The Somnath temple is one of the twelve most sacred shrines dedicated to the Lord Shiva. The temple contains the jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva. This temple has a very long history. According to the legends, the Somnath temple is very old and was originally built in gold by the Somraj, the Moon God. Later, it was rebuilt by Ravana, in silver; then by Krishna in wood and Bhimdev in stone. Mahmud of Ghazni, upon hearing the description of the richness of the Somnath temple by Al Biruni, an Arab traveller, visited this temple in 1024 AD. At that time, this temple had about 300 musicians, 500 dancing girls and 300 barbers to shave off the heads of pilgrims. After a 2 days battle, Mahmud destroyed the temple and carried away jewels and gold to his homeland. Hence, a tradition got started, the Muslims destroy the temples and the Hindus rebuilt them. The Somnath Temple was raided again in 1927, 1934 and 1706. In 1706, this temple was raided by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. In all, the Somnath temple was rebuilt and destroyed eight times. This temple was finally rebuilt in 1950 with the support of Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel. The current temple was built as per the traditional designs on the original site by the sea and is a serene, symmetrical and sinuous structure. Today, this majestic temple is a replica of the earlier temple. Rudresvara Temple Rudreshvara Temple is a ruined temple located near the Somnath temple. This temple dates from the same time as the Somnath Temple and was laid out in a similar fashion. The sculptures on the walls and doorways give an indication of what the Somnath Temple was like. Prabas Pata Museum The Prabas Pata Museum is strikingly laid out in courtyard centered rooms and contains interesting remains of the previous temples, with lots of beautiful fragments, including an elaborate 11th century ceiling. Bhalka Tirth Bhalka Tirth is situated halfway between the Veraval and Somnath. At this place, the Lord Krishna was mistaken for a deer and wounded by an arrow. The legendary spot is at the confluence of the three rivers. This place is entered through the small Sangam (confluence gate), known as the Nana. North of this sacred spot is the Suraj Mandir or Sun Temple. This ancient temple was destroyed by the Mahmud of Ghazni. The temple, with a lane of lions with elephant trunks, probably dates from the same time as the Somnath temple. Planning a trip to Somnath ? Somnath dharshan is best at morning but stay near temple in evening hours to see Sunset in Arabian sea. Then immediately rush to temple to witness the Arati at 7 PM. If you are not able to enter inside the main hall then watch Arathi at big electronic display board kept outside. Then take a ticket and watch sound and light show . This show will end around 8.45 PM. Railway station is just 20 minutes drive from here. Return to your hotel or visit railway station after this. Reaching Somnath Connected by rail and road from main cities of Gujarat. Overnight buses available from Ahmedabad and Dwaraka. Devotees and tourist visit Somnath before or after visiting Dwaraka temple.  Somnath to Junagadh is 80 KM Somnath to Chorwad is 25 KM  Nearest Airport is Rajkot. Somnath Railway station ( Station Code : SMNH ) There are direct trains from Ahmedabad to Somnath. Jabalpur Express (No : 11466 ) reaches in evening at Somnath.  VERAVAL (station code : VRL) is 6 KM from Somnath. Somnath express No : 19221 ) runs overnight from Ahmedabad to Veraval ( reaches morning 6.30 at Veraval )  If you are travelling from Dwarak side then Okha - Somnath express ( Train No : 19252) leaves Dwarak at evening 8.30 and reaches morning at Somnath.  There are plenty of Auto - Taxi available at Somnath or Veraval station to take you to hotels or temple. Duration of Stay at Somnath One night stay is advisable. However if you are reaching in the morning hours then you can plan your return journey in evening or night.  For photography morning time is best as sunlight falls on temple. However you can take photo of sunset along with temple here. Sasan Giri Near Somnath. Take a day trip to Sasan and visit the Asia largest Lion habitat. Sasan is one hour journey from Somnath. Jeep Safari at Sasan Giri You can book online for your jeep safari.  Bus safari ( Rs 180 /- per head ) Bus starts from 8 AM till 11 AM and in afternoon starts at 2.30 PM to 5 PM. Duration of the trip is one hour. Wednesday no bus service is available.  Local Taxi cost for visiting to Sasan Type of Vehicle Sasan Gir Diu Indica Rs 1660 2200 Indigo Rs 1800 2400 Etios / Dzire Rs 2000 2600 Innova Rs 3000 3600 How to reach Somnath By Air:  The nearest airport is located at Keshod, about 47 kms which is connected with Mumbai.  By Rail: The nearest railway station is located at Veraval, about 5 Kms. By Road:  Somnath is connected to various cities in Gujarat.

Get around

Somnath trust organises daily twice "Somnath tirth Darshan" local sight seeing. Bus starts near the gate of Somnath Temple -10am and 3pm. Rs.20/- per seat. It covers Golokdham tirth, Sharada Peeth, Triveni Sangam and Bhalka teerth in 2-3 hours. Visit the Bhalka Theeth. This is the place where Lord Krishna was hit by a hunter named Jara and then Lord Krishna walked a few steps and took his journey to Nijdham from the banks of the river Hiran.

Alternatively you can engage a auto rickshaw to take you to nearby places. They usually charge 200-250 Rs.

The places to see in the auto are

Triveni sangam

Sharda math

Shankarcharya Gaddi

Surya mandir

Hinglaj mata temple

Geeta mandir

Baldevji Gufa

Laxminarayan mandir

Mahaprabhuji ki baithak

Lord krishna charan paduka.

These sites are in two three combined in a group and are nearby only.

you can also see Bhidbhajan Mahadev, ban gangeshwar and Bhalka Tirth. these are within 5-6 kms.

See

Description: This Picture shows the route plan for the places to see in Somnath Veraval

• Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples dedicated to Lord Shiva.

• The Gitamandir and Laxminarayan mandir are located in Dehotsarg campus. The divine message of Bhagwan Shree Krishna in the form of Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta is carved here on eighteen marble pillars. Laxminarayan Mandir houses divine shreevigraha of Bhagwan Laxminarayan.

• Shree Parshuram Temple. This is a sacred spot on the holy banks of Triveni where Bhagwan Parshuram conducted his long penance and he was relieved from the curse of Kshatriya killings by Bhagwan Somnath. Divine Leela Parshuram is perpetuated here by a beautiful Parshuram Temple and two ancient kunds.

• Treeveni Sangam Snanghat. The holy confluence of the three rivers Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati and their sangam with the ocean is a very sacred moksha tirtha for Hindus. The bathing facilities are being renovated by Shree Somnath Trust with the assistance of the State Government.

• Shree Shashibhushan Mahadev and Bhidbhanjan Ganapatiji. The holy temple of Shashibhushan is located at a distance of 4 km from the Somnath-Veraval highway with a beautiful sea-shore. The Jara poacher is said to have taken aim from this spot while shooting an arrow towards Bhagwan Shree Krishna. The ancient Somnath Poojacharya Shri Bhav Brihaspati is said to have built this temple. Bhagwan Shashibhushan with Bhidbhanjan (Saviour form of) Ganesh is worshipped here with traditional spiritual traditions.

• Shree Veneshwar Mahadev Temple. The devotional episode of the princess "Veni" is depicted in the novel by Shri K.M.Munshi. The temple was outside of the fort wall of Prabhaspatan at the time of holy war with Gazani.The soldiers of Gazani attempted an abduction of "Veni" who regularly visited the temple to offer her services to Shiva. The traditions maintain that the Shivling was spontaneously divided and the princess buried in it. The Shiv temple here is knows as "Veneshwar" temple after the fond memory of divine episode of Veni.

Timing for Darshan at Somnath Temple : 6.00am to 9.00pm Timing for Aarti : 7.00 am, 12.00 Noon and 7.00 pm

• Jay Somnath Sound and Light Show : 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm

Do

Visit the Somnath Temple

Watch the Sound and Light Show at the temple, truly an amazing experience. They charge Rs. 20 per head for adults and kids are charged Rs. 10.

After somnath darshan and nearby locations sightseeing in auto rickshaw, you can head out to diu [90 km] or gir [ 45 kms ] or junagarh [ 100 kms ]

Buy

Buy laminated and / or framed photos of Lord Somnath and temple, which is available in the temple and also with petty vendors outside. There are a few people near the Bus Stand who sell some Handmade items like dolls etc, which are good.

you can also see sea shells items, also there is a small shop in Sharda Math which sells pretty knick nacks - mostly religious - and pearls and counches.

Eat

There aren't many places to eat except the Somnath Trust Run Prasadam Hotel and Bhabha Hotel near the temple. Lilavathi Bhojanalya and Bhojanalaya near temple (both run by Trust) are good and maintained well.

You can find a couple of shops on the bylanes near the temple and a few in the Complex opposite to the temple which are very very basic.

There is a Amul Counter near the Shopping Complex where you can get Dairy Products of Amul ranging from Chacch (Buttermilk) to Choclates to Ice-Creams.

you can try the local Dhokla and Khaman. The south indian dishes - especially idlies were not upto standard at the nearby eateries in the shopping complex.

Drink

You should drink a lot of tender coconut water which is available from Rs 15 only. Do not try to drink open water since the local water will be hard and salty. Try to get purified water or bottled mineral water.

Alcoholic Drinks are banned here. So do not expect places which offer alcohol in Somnath.

cold water pouches are also available for Rs 1 each for 200 ml pouch.

Sleep

Pilgrims can avail the guest house facilities of Shree Somnath Trust. The trust maintains a VIP Guesthouse, eighteen other guest houses and an economical dormitory. The total number of rooms in the trust guest houses are in excess of 200.

Guest house prices start From 350 Rs to 1200. For people travelling in groups, Dharmashala & Sanskritik Bhavan are available at nominal prices. No booking by telephone. First come first serve.

» Contact for Booking : Shree Somnath Trust, Somnath Prabhas Patan - 362 268 District : Junagadh, Gujarat. Ph. No. : +91-2876-231212