Today at this temple
Quick facts
- Primary deity
- Shiva
- Tradition
- shaiva
- Year founded
- ancient
- Founder
- Ancient (traditional); current structure commissioned by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1947 and consecrated by Dr. Rajendra Prasad on 11 May 1951
- Managing trust
- Shree Somnath Trust
- Daily footfall
- 25,000+ daily
- Photography
- outside_only
- Non-Hindu policy
- all_welcome
- Dress code
- Modest attire. Footwear deposited at counter. Leather items must be left outside the compound. Mobile phones and cameras are not permitted inside the temple — secure lockers available.
- Accessibility
- ♿ 👴 🍼
- VIP darshan
- ✓
- Typical visit
- 45–120 min
Sthala Purana — the story
The tradition holds that Chandra (Soma), condemned by a curse from Daksha Prajapati to wane and die, performed intense tapasya to Shiva at Prabhas Kshetra. Pleased, Shiva restored Chandra, granting him the waxing-and-waning cycle in place of inevitable death — hence the name Somnath, Lord of Soma. The original golden temple is said to have been built by Chandra himself, later rebuilt in silver by Ravana, in wood by Krishna, and in stone by Bhimadeva. Krishna's ascension to Vaikuntha from Bhalka Tirtha (a few kilometres away) adds to Prabhas's sanctity. The Mausala Parva of the Mahabharata narrates how the Yadavas died here under Gandhari's curse, and how Krishna's soul left his body when pierced by the hunter Jara's arrow at this site. The 1951 reconstruction, on the orders of Sardar Patel and through K. M. Munshi's stewardship, is seen not merely as an architectural revival but as the re-establishment of a continuous 5,000-year tirtha that had been attacked seventeen times in recorded history without losing its spiritual centrality.
References: Shiva Purana Koti Rudra Samhita, canonical Jyotirlinga enumeration · Skanda Purana Prabhasa Khanda · Mahabharata Mausala Parva · Rigveda Soma Mandala references
Darshan & aartis
- 07:00Morning Aarti45 min · First aarti of the day; abhishekam and alankara. Sanctum fragrant with sandalwood and bilva.
- 12:00Noon Aarti30 min · Midday offering; naivedya and prasad distribution.
- 19:00Evening Aarti45 min · Most spectacular aarti of the day; deep aradhana with the sea breeze from the Arabian coast just metres away.
Plan your visit
Diu Airport — 85 km, 2 hr by taxi; Rajkot (250 km) and Ahmedabad (400 km) are alternate options
Veraval Junction — 7 km, 15 min by auto
Trust-managed parking outside the compound; ₹50 for cars, ₹20 for two-wheelers. Auto and taxi drop-off at the main gate.
✓
Shree Somnath Trust Atithi Bhavan (0.3 km) · Lords Inn Somnath (0.8 km) · The Fern Residency Somnath (1.5 km) · Maheshwari Samaj Bhavan (0.5 km)
Temple prasad (besan laddoo, sukhadi) · Shree Somnath Trust Bhojanalaya · New Apsara Restaurant · Hotel Sunrise Restaurant
October to March is the ideal season — cool and pleasant, with sea breeze. Avoid May-June (peak heat, 40°C+). Mahashivratri (Feb-Mar) is the most spectacular but expect 5-6 hour queues. Kartik Purnima (Oct-Nov) coincides with the Somnath fair and is crowded. Evening aarti followed by the 20:00 sound-and-light show is the recommended visit sequence — arrive by 18:00 for aarti, stay for the show.
- Bilva patra, dhatura flowers, Gangajal (if possible)
- Deposit mobile phones, cameras, leather items at entrance lockers before entering compound
- Warm layer in Dec-Jan — sea breeze can be cool in the evenings
- Sunglasses and sunscreen — compound is largely open and sunny
- Cash for prasad, parking, and small purchases around the gate
Gallery & media
Deity & iconography
- Vahana
- Nandi (bull, facing the sanctum from the mandapa)
- Adornments
- Silver-plated sanctum doors; daily abhishekam; chandan and bilva offerings; sandalwood paste and rudraksha adornment
- Consorts on panel
- Parvati (adjacent shrine within the compound)
- Favored bhoga
- Bilva patra · dhatura · Gangajal · panchamrit (milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar)
- Mantras chanted here
- Om Namah Shivaya · Mahamrityunjaya Mantra · Rudrashtadhyayi · Somnath Stotram
- Worship purpose
- Moksha and ancestral liberation; Prabhas Kshetra is one of the foremost tirthas for shraddha rituals
Architecture & art
The current temple is a Chalukya-style / Kailash Mahameru reconstruction completed in 1951, facing the Arabian Sea to the south. The main vimana rises 47 metres above Prabhas Kshetra, built of pink sandstone with marble cladding in the sanctum. The mandapa in front of the garbhagriha accommodates hundreds of devotees for aarti. A feature unique to Somnath is the Baan Stambh (arrow pillar) on the southern face of the compound, bearing an inscription noting that no land lies directly south between the temple and the South Pole — a remarkable geographical observation preserved in tradition. The Digvijay Dwar gate, Maha Meru shikhara, and the evening sound-and-light show (projected onto the temple's face) are modern additions to the 1951 complex.
- Style
- Chalukya / Kailash Mahameru style (1951 reconstruction); Mahagurjara-Pratihara lineage in spirit
- Shikhara height
- 47 m
- Built of
- Dressed stone (pink sandstone); sanctum in stone with marble cladding; rebuilt seven times per tradition, the current structure dating to 1951
- Notable features
- Arrow pillar (Baan Stambh) points south across the Arabian Sea with no landmass between it and Antarctica — inscription claims this uninterrupted ocean sightline · shikhara 47 m above Prabhas Kshetra · evening sound-and-light show on the temple's history
- Protection status
- trust_managed
History timeline
- Ancient
Prabhas Kshetra is mentioned in the Mahabharata (Mausala Parva) as the site near which Krishna ended his earthly incarnation. The Rigveda references Somnath through the Soma (Chandra) tapasya tradition. The original temple is lost to antiquity.
- 1024
Mahmud of Ghazni sacks the temple in one of the most famous raids in South Asian history; the iconic jyotirlinga is said to have been broken by his own hand. The temple is rebuilt soon after by Bhimadeva I of the Chaulukya dynasty.
- 1169
Kumarapala of the Chaulukyas undertakes a major reconstruction at the behest of Acharya Hemachandra. This structure stands for several centuries.
- 1297
Temple destroyed during the Delhi Sultanate's Gujarat campaign under Ulugh Khan (brother of Alauddin Khilji).
- 1706
Final pre-modern destruction under Aurangzeb's orders. Over centuries the sanctity of Prabhas Kshetra is preserved by continuing local worship and partial restorations.
- 1947
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, after the accession of Junagadh State, visits Prabhas Kshetra on 13 November 1947 and resolves to rebuild the temple. Funds are raised through a national corpus; K. M. Munshi leads the construction effort.
- 1951
The present temple is consecrated on 11 May 1951 by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India. The pran-pratishtha ritual restores the unbroken tradition of Somnath worship. Subsequent phases add the Mahameru shikhara, the Digvijay Dwar, and the sound-and-light show.
Special phenomena
Baan Stambh (Arrow Pillar)
The inscription on the southern arrow pillar reads: from this point, no landmass lies directly south between here and the South Pole. This uninterrupted ocean sightline is geographically correct and has been verified on modern maps — a striking observation preserved in the temple's tradition.
Triveni Sangam at Prabhas
The confluence of three rivers — Hiran, Kapila, and the mythical Saraswati — meets the Arabian Sea at Prabhas. Shraddha ceremonies performed here for departed ancestors are considered especially efficacious.
Bhalka Tirtha
Five kilometres from the temple, Bhalka Tirtha marks the site where Krishna was pierced by the hunter Jara's arrow and left his earthly body. Pilgrims traditionally combine Somnath darshan with Bhalka.
Poojas & sevas offered here
No bookable poojas listed yet
Festivals & signature events
- SignatureMahashivratriAnnual
Location & nearby temples
- Bhalka Tirth, Somnath3.6 km · Veraval
- Triveni Tirtha Sangam, Veraval4.1 km · Veraval
Scriptural references
- Shiva Purana
- Koti Rudra Samhita, canonical Jyotirlinga enumeration
- Skanda Purana
- Prabhasa Khanda
- Mahabharata
- Mausala Parva
- Rigveda
- Soma Mandala references
Sources & credits
✓ Verified by 2026-04-24. Seeded from training knowledge + source JSON + public Trust/Gujarat Tourism/Wikipedia references. Pandit review pending for: exact current aarti timings (verify against Somnath Trust schedule), sound-and-light show pricing and timings (seasonal), hotel price ranges (seasonal), shikhara height figure (47 m used from widely-cited public sources but not verified against an architectural drawing), Baan Stambh inscription text (paraphrased from tradition; not directly photographed). Video metadata intentionally empty — curate real YouTube URLs during pandit review rather than fabricate placeholders.