The stepped seating arrangement made the place look like an amphitheatre – a small one though. In front of us was a huge temple, behind us the sea. The cool breeze was a welcome respite from the scorching heat of the day. Over us, the moon shone, brighter than usual, for it was a full moon night, and all around, the stars twinkled, perhaps smiling at us humans who had gathered to hear a story, almost as old as time. And why not? For the story we had gathered to hear, involved them – the moon and the stars….

We were at Somnath, one of the most important temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the twelve special temples, the Jyotirlings, and even among them, it is said to be the first. The story of Somnath is one of regeneration – of the wheel of time, and above all, of change. If anything has stayed the same, it is the sea, who has witnessed the vicissitudes of the temple – its days of grandeur as well as those of neglect.
The story of Somnath begins with the moon – Soma. The Moon God was married to 27 daughters of Daksha – the lunar constellations. He promised to be true and fair to all of them, but as time passed, he fell more and more in love with one – Rohini. The other wives were angry and complained to their father about the preference given to Rohini. Daksha was angry and he cursed the moon to lose his lustre. The moon god was repentant, but Daksha could not retract his curse. He finally turned to Lord Shiva, who eventually modified the curse, causing him to lose and gain his lustre in a cycle we know as the waning and waxing of the moon. It is believed that the Moon God built a temple of gold at this location, the first temple ever to be built here. Since then, the temple seems to have followed the moon, its fame and fortune waxing and waning alternately with the passage of time.

The legendary golden temple of Somnath is said to have given way to a silver structure built by none other than Ravana, the king of the demons, but also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. In time, that gave way to a wooden temple built by Krishna while he lived at Dwaraka. While these three temples are a part of legends, the earliest historical records show the presence of a temple around 649 AD. The temple was first invaded in 725 AD by the Arabs of Sind, and rebuilt by the Gurjar Pratihara king, Nagabhatta II in 815 AD. This was a huge structure made of red sandstone, and survived for over 200 years, before it was ransacked and destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1024 AD. The temple was rebuilt, first in wood and later in stone by the Gurjar and Solanki rulers of that era, but again it lasted no more than 200 years before it was ransacked once again, this time by Allaudin Khilji, in 1296 AD. AD 1300 saw another temple rise, but it lasted only a few years, destroyed repeatedly by the Sultans of Gujarat. In 1701 AD, Aurangzeb not only attacked and destroyed the temple, but also built a mosque over the ruins. In 1783, Ahilyabai Holkar built a temple on an adjacent site, where she installed the Shiva Lingam in a chamber under the ground, to protect it from future invaders. In a chamber over this original Lingam, she installed another Lingam, one named after her as Ahilyeshwar Mahadev. It was in this simple temple constructed by her, that prayers to Lord Shiva continued unabated until modern times, when a grand temple was constructed at the original site after India gained independence.
Somnath is essentially a temple town today, whose main attraction is the Jyotirling. The main temple is a beautiful structure, built with great attention to detail, and surrounded by flower-filled gardens. A covered promenade along the seashore is a favourite with the visitors, and especially interesting is a pillar at one end with an arrow believed to indicate an unobstructed sea route to the South Pole!

The older temple built by Ahilyabai Holkar is simpler, but equally (if not more) spiritual. On one of my earlier visits a number of years back, I remember praying to the Ahilyeshwar Mahadev on the ground level and then climbing down a winding set of stairs to the underground shrine. It is an impression that has stayed with me over all these years. Now, some changes have been made for the convenience of pilgrims, and we can now visit the underground shrine directly and then climb up to the other shrine if we feel like it.

The new temple is essentially modern, with a touch screen telling us the story of the temple, a series of photographs showing the reconstruction, and a set of panels exhibiting the stories associated with it. The tight security ensures that we stay a reasonable distance away from the deity, and just get a glimpse of the Lingam as we make our way in the constantly moving queue. This keeps us free from the scores of pestering priests and flower sellers who take up their stations outside the older temple, where we are allowed to perform the prayers to the Lord by ourselves.

While most people visit Somnath for the temple, we looked around for the other things we could do while there. Here is what we came up with:
1. The beach is the least known part of Somnath. It is surprisingly clean and my son enjoyed playing in the water. It was also quite safe, since a bunch of guards on horseback kept an eye on those bathing or playing in the water. As the sun set and the tide started coming in, they made sure that everyone got back to the shore before the water level rose. Next time you are in Somnath, don’t miss the beach!

2.The museum is something even most of the auto drivers aren’t aware of. We just noticed a board, and pestered our auto driver to take us there, which he did after much complaining. The museum is maintained by the Gujarat government and is tucked in a busy lane in the older part of the village. It is housed in a structure built over the ruins of another ancient temple, and all the ruins and relics of ancient temples found in the area are preserved here. Relics are classified by age, so we get an idea of what the ancient Somnath temples looked like.
3.The other major attractions at Somnath are the places connected to Lord Krishna. This is believed to the place where he spent his last days, and there are various temples associated with the events which occurred then. The Golok Dham tirth has His footprints, while the Bhalaka Teerth is believed to be the place where a hunter pierced his foot with an arrow. However, if you are looking for something different, try going for a boat ride on the Triveni Sangam – where the rivers Hiranya and Kapila merge with the hidden Saraswati and finally join the sea. The sangam is said to have been the site chosen by Krishna for his final days, and if you can close your eyes and shut out the pilgrims, you can almost imagine the place the way it might have been, centuries ago!
Somnath is about 7 Km from Veraval, which is well connected by Road as well as Rail. In addition, Somnath also has a railway station, which is presently connected only by a few selected trains. Accommodation in Somnath is basic, though clean. There are plenty of budget hotels around the temple. The temple trust has also built a huge complex for tourists, and the accommodation is comfortable and affordable.
You can also combine a visit to Somnath with a trip to the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary. The Club Mahindra Safari Resort at Gir is about 50 Km from Somnath and in spite of the village roads, the journey takes about an hour and a half. The resort has rooms, cottages and even tents to stay in, and is a perfect way to visit the temple while enjoying all the comforts of the resort, as well as communing with nature!