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Somnath Gujrath
Somnath Gujrath
In Saurashtra Somanatha:Gujarat
In Shrishailam Mallikarjunam:Andhra Pradesh
Mahaa kaala in Ujjain: Madhya Pradesh
Mamaleshwara in Omkareshwar:an island in Narmada shaped like OM,Madhya Pradesh
As the moon regained his light here, this town came to be known as Prabhasa. Brahma,
one of the trinity, installed the Brahmashila, and paved way for the construction of the
temple. On the request of the Chandrama and other gods Bhagwan Shankar assumed the
name Somchandra (Jyotirlinga) and resided there eternally. He became famous by the
name Somnath in the three worlds. Since, it was the Prabhas Kshetra where Bhagwan
Shri Krishna performed all his Lilas. In this temple there is a small cave in which a lamp
burns continuously.
The Skanda Purana describes the Sparsa Linga of Somnath as one bright as the sun, the
size of an egg, lodged underground. The Mahabharata also refers to the Prabhasa
Kshetra and the legend of the moon worshipping Shiva.
A reference of the presiding deity of the temple, Lord Someshwar is also available in the
Rig Veda, which is acknowledged by the secularist brigade / western historians to
be ...............more than 3500 years old , much to their chagrin . It was also a sacred place
in the days of the Mahabharat. It was called Bhairavashwar in Satya Yug,
Shravanikeshwar in Treta Yug and Shrigaleshwar in Dwapur Yug. The Prabhas Khanda in
Skand Purana giving description of the Linga of Somnath says that it is a Swayambhu
Linga of great prowess, as bright as the disc of Sun, surrounded by a serpent, of the size
of the egg of a hen, called Sparalinga and situated underground.
Somnath Temple was first built with gold by Moon God, with silver by Ravana, with
sandalwood by Lord Krishna, and about 2500 years ago by The Great King Emperor of
Jambudwip Shri Vikramaditya of Ujjaini fame , The second was built in the period 480-767
A.D. by the Vallabhi kings. This was again replaced by the Pratihara king Nagabhattta II
in 815 A.D and with stone by Bhimdeva Solanki, Gurjar Ruler of Gujarat.
As many as 2000 Brahmin priests were engaged in temple activities and the revenue
collected from ten thousand villages were used for its maintenance. Prayers were
announced by ringing the bell which was attached to a golden chain. Its walls were
nothing less than pages of History. The exquisite sculptures were a reflection of the times
and the pillars even had the names of the sculptors carved on them.
The following extract is from Wonders of Things Created, and marvels of Things
Existing by Asaru-L- Bilad, a 13th century Arab geographer. It contains the following
description of Somnath temple and its destruction:
Somnath: celebrated city of India, situated on the shore of the sea, and washed by its
waves. Among the wonders of that place was the temple in which was placed the idol
called Somnath. This idol was in the middle of the temple without anything to support it
from below, or to suspend it from above. It was held in the highest honor among the
Hindus, and whoever beheld it floating in the air was struck with amazement, whether he
was a Musulman or an infidel.
When the king asked his companions what they had to say about the marvel of the idol,
and of its staying in the air without prop or support, several maintained that it was
upheld by some hidden support. The king directed a person to go and feel all around and
above and below it with a spear, which he did, but met with no obstacle. One of the
attendants then stated his opinion that the canopy was made of loadstone, and the idol
of iron, and that the ingenious builder had skillfully contrived that the magnet should not
exercise a greater force on anyone side-hence the idol was suspended in the middle.
Some coincided, others differed. Permission was obtained from the Sultan to remove
some stones from the top of the canopy to settle the point. When two stones were
removed from the summit the idol swerved on one side, when more were taken away it
inclined still further, until at last it rested on the ground.
The Hindus used to go on pilgrimage to it whenever there was an eclipse of the moon,
and would then assemble there to the number of more than a hundred thousand. They
believed that the souls of men used to meet there after separation from the body, and
that the idol used to incorporate them at its pleasure in other bodies, in accordance with
their doctrine of transmigration. The ebb and flow of the tide was considered to be the
worship paid to the idol by the sea.
Everything of the most precious was brought there as offerings, and the temple was
endowed with more than 10,000 villages. There is a river (the Ganges) which is held
sacred, between which and Somnat the distance is 200 parasangs. They used to bring
the water of this river to Somnath every day, and wash the temple with it. A thousand
brahmins were employed in worshipping the idol and attending on the visitors, and 500
damsels sung and danced at the doorall these were maintained upon the endowments
of the temple.
The edifice was built upon fifty-six pillars of teak, covered with lead. The shrine of the idol
was dark. hut was lighted by jeweled chandeliers of great value. Near it was a chain of
gold weighing 200 mans. When a portion (watch) of the night closed, this chain used to
be shaken like bells to rouse a fresh lot of Brahmins to perform worship. When the
Sultan Yaminu-d Daula Mahmud Bin Subuktigin went to wage religious war against India,
he made great efforts to capture and destroy Somnat, in the hope that the Hindus would
then become Muhammadans. As a result thousands of Hindus were forcibly converted to
Islam. He arrived there in the middle of Zi-l kada, 416 A.H. (December, 1025 A.D.). The
king looked upon the idol with wonder, and gave orders for the seizing of the spoil, and
the appropriation of the treasures.
There were many idols of gold and silver and vessels set with jewels, all of which had
been sent there by the greatest personages in India. The value of the things found in the
temples of the idols exceeded twenty hundred thousand dinars.
Lane Poole, author of Medieval India, has said that Mahommad of Ghazni, "who had
vowed that every year should see him wage a holy war against the infidels of Hindustan"
could not rest from his idol-breaking campaign so long as the temple of Somnath
remained inviolate. It was for this specific purpose that he, at the very close of his career,
undertook his arduous march across the desert from Multan to Anhilwada on the coast,
fighting as he went, until he saw at last the famous temple.
Mahmud Ghazni attacked this temple in 1026 A.D. and after a week-long resistance,
captured it. When the soldiers scaled the walls with ladders all they found inside were
defenseless worshippers. Fifty thousand devotees praying to the linga and weeping
passionately with hands clasped were massacred in cold blood. The Shiva Linga, adorned
with gems and precious stones was broken and the temple burnt. After the battle,
Mahmud and his troops are described as having carried away across the desert the
equivalent of 6.5 tons of gold. The fragments of the idol were carried off to grace the
conquerors' palace and the temple gates were set up at Ghazni.
Mahmud was hailed throughout the Islamic world as a second Mohammed and his
smashing of Somnath was lauded in the Sufi poetry of Attar, Sanai and Omar Khayyam.
These poets equated Somnath with the temples to the pagan goddess Al-Manat
destroyed by Mohammed and viewed its destruction as the 'will of Allah' and the
'enlightened march of Islam.' The sack of Somnath made Mahmud of Ghazni a champion
of the faith in the eyes of every Muslim.
Minhaj-as-Siraj tells us how Mahmud became widely known for having destroyed as many
as thousand temples, and of his great feat in destroying the temple of Somnath and
carrying off its idol, which he asserts was broken into four parts. One part he deposited in
the Jami Masjid of Ghazni, one he placed at the entrance of the royal palace, the third he
sent to Mecca, and the fourth to Medina.
The folding doors shown were reputed to be the famous Sandalwood Doors, carried off in
1026 by Mahmud after his destruction of the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, during the last
of his devastatingly successful forays in India. The British removed them from the tomb
in 1842, laboriously transporting them to Agra Fort, where they were found to be replicas
of the original.
In 725 Junayad, the Arab governor of Sind, sent his armies to destroy the second temple.
The Gurjara Pratihara king Nagabhata II constructed the third temple in 815, a large
structure of red sandstone. Somnath temple, 1869 .
In 1024 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni who raided the
temple from across the Thar Desert. Ghazni was challenged by the king, Ghogha Rana,
who at the ripe age of 90, sacrificed his own clan fighting against Ghazni. The temple
was rebuilt by the Paramara King Bhoj of Malwa and the Solanki king Bhima of Gujarat
(Anhilwara) or Patan between 1026 and 1042. The wooden structure was replaced by
Kumarpal (r.1143-72), who built the temple of stone.
In 1296 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Sultan Allauddin Khilji's army.
According to Taj-ul-Ma'sir of Hasan Nizami, Raja Karan of Gujarat was defeated and
forced to flee, "fifty thousand infidels were dispatched to hell by the sword" and "more
than twenty thousand slaves, and cattle beyond all calculation fell into the hands of the
victors". The temple was rebuilt by Mahipala Deva, the Chudasama king of Saurashtra in
1308 A.D. and the Linga was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and
1351 A.D.
In 1375 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Muzaffar Shah I, the Sultan of
Gujarat. About 1400 A.D. it was reconstructed by the local public.
In 1451 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Begda, the Sultan of
Gujarat. It was reconstructed again.
In 1701 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Aurangzeb built a mosque on the site of the Somnath temple, using some columns from
the temple, whose Hindu sculptural motifs remained visible.
Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore rebuilt the temple in 1783 A.D. at a site adjacent to the
ruined temple which was already converted to a mosque.
The present temple, Kailash Mahameru Prasada, is built in the Chalukya style of temple
architecture and reflects the skill of the Sompuras, Gujarat's master masons.
The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in between from Somnath
seashore to Antarctica. Such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on the ARROW-PILLAR
erected on the sea-protection wall at the Somnath Temple.
Thus, the Hindus rebuilt the temple several times, but the Muslims destroyed it again.
The temple was last destroyed by the Mughal tyrant, Aurangzeb. In 1701 A.D. he ordered
Prince Mohammed Azam, the Viceroy of Gujarat, to destroy the temple of Somnath.
Aurangzeb, as history records, was a brutal ruler who left a trail of genocide and
destruction, mainly aimed at converting Hindus. Aurangzeb built a mosque on the site of
the Somnath temple, using some columns from the temple, whose Hindu sculptural
motifs remained visible.
Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore built the temple again in 1783 at a site adjacent to the
ruined temple.
If Hindus honor Somnath, they should not look down upon attempts to restore Ayodhya,
Mathura and Kashi, but, on the contrary, help accomplish this aim. If Somnath is a matter
of national pride, then certainly Ayodhya and the others deserve to be as well. If a legal
process could be created to reclaim Somnath, a similar process can be created to reclaim
these other three sites. If Somnath can be dedicated to the nation, so can the other sites.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those who chant the Dwadasa JyotirLinga Stotram or prayer will attain salvation and
enlightenment and be released from this cycle of human existence with all its travails. By
worshipping the Lingas, people of all castes, creeds and colour would be freed from all
difficulties. By eating the holy offering made to these Lingas (Naivedyam) one would be
rid of all the sins instantly.
As a matter of fact, we do the Darshan of the JyoritLingas as a part of our daily life. Sun,
Fire and Light etc., are indeed a part of that great Light. Om tatsavituvarenye these
magical words of the Gayatri mantra or chant invoke this Supreme light only. By chanting
this powerful Mantra, humans can obtain divine power to their life-light or Atmajyothi.
The aura of the Sun rays and the various benefits that can be derived there from is
indeed a difficult task to describe. This gorgeous life-light is the only thing that is
responsible for the activity in the universe. We salute this life force.
Agni or fire is a great light. For all the activities on the earth, Fire is the
pivot.Deepajyoti or light and its greatness, is known to all of us, and we offer our prayers.
Let us celebrate the glory of light. Light is offered a place of pride at welcome
celebrations and on all auspicious occasions.
""Shubham karoti kalyanam Arogyam Dhanasampada
Shatru buddhi vinashaya Deepa Jyoti namostute """
This light removes the darkness from the lives of one and all. Darkness means ignorance
and it is destroyed by this light. The natured light of God makes all our wishes come true,
when we take a Darshan of it.
Thus, by taking a Darshan of these twelve JyotirLingas, the auspicious air surrounding
them and the holy pilgrimage, will bring happiness, peace and satisfaction to all.
Tagged:
In Saurashtra Somanatha:Gujarat
In Shrishailam Mallikarjunam:Andhra Pradesh
Mahaa kaala in Ujjain: Madhya Pradesh
Mamaleshwara in Omkareshwar:an island in Narmada shaped like OM,Madhya
Pradesh
Himalaye tu Kedaaram,Dakinyaam Bhima Shankaram||
Vaaranasyam tu Vishvesham Tryambakam Gautamitate||
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A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is
worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam of light."
There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India. It is believed that Lord Shiva first manifested
himself as a Jyotirlinga on the night of the Aridra Nakshatra, thus the special reverence for the Jyotirlinga.
There is nothing to distinguish the appearance, but it is believed that a person can see these lingas as
columns of fire piercing through the earth after he reaches a higher level of spiritual attainment.
__________________________________________________________________________________
In Saurashtra Somanatha:Gujarat
In Shrishailam Mallikarjunam:Andhra Pradesh
Mahaa kaala in Ujjain: Madhya Pradesh
Mamaleshwara in Omkareshwar:an island in Narmada shaped like OM,Madhya
Pradesh
Himalaye tu Kedaaram,Dakinyaam Bhima Shankaram||
Vaaranasyam tu Vishvesham Tryambakam Gautamitate||
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*
*
*
Vaidyanatha in Parali:Jarkhand
Naagehswar in Daruka forest:Gujarat
Rameshwar in Setubandam:Tamil Nadu
Ghrishneshwara:Mahaaraashtraa
History of Shri Somnath Temple : Skanda Purana, in a chapter on Prabhasa Khanda, describes the
emergence of this Jyotirlinga.
The Divine Mother took birth in Daksha house in the form of Sati and after performing tapasya, became
Shiva wife, and went to live with him on Mount Kailash. Her 27 sisters as the purana says wwere married
to the Moon God i.e. 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati. Amongst all his wives, he had special love
towards Rohini and neglected the others.
Seeing the negligence of Chandra towards his other wives Prajapati Daksha cursed Chandra that he
would lose his beauty and radiance. But because of a moon devoid of radiance and beauty the entire
world became lifeless. A disturbed Chandra, came down to Prabhasa with Rohini and worshipped the
Sparsa Linga of Somnath after which he was blessed by Shiva to grow and shine in the bright half.
As the moon regained his light here, this town came to be known as Prabhasa. Brahma, one of the trinity,
installed the Brahmashila, and paved way for the construction of the temple. On the request of the
Chandrama and other gods
Bhagwan Shankar assumed the name Somchandra (Jyotirlinga) and resided there eternally. He became
famous by the name Somnath in the three worlds. Since, it was the Prabhas Kshetra where Bhagwan Shri
Krishna performed all his Lilas. In this temple there is a small cave in which a lamp burns continuously.
The Skanda Purana describes the Sparsa Linga of Somnath as one bright as the sun, the size of an egg,
lodged underground. The Mahabharata also refers to the Prabhasa Kshetra and the legend of the moon
worshipping Shiva.
In this photo: Swami Gadgets, . (photos), Sundari Radha Dasi (photos), Bjp West
Bengal (photos), Suma Nair, Venkat Koppaka (photos), Rekha Ganesan (photos), Aganathan
Maistry,Tataki Zira, Ajay Bhadrike (photos | remove tag), Yogesh Saxena (photos), Tanuja
Thakur(photos), Chaula Kuruwa, Visakha Dasi, Ursula Nujici, Devendra Sharma, Vishal
Bhatt (photos), Umesh Davda (photos), Taka Gani, Balbeer Singh (photos), Srivatsan Desikamani, Tulika
Kala (photos), Sonali Tripathi, Mohini Traveller, Ajay Sharma (photos), Vatsala Udugama, Aditya
Mittal, Sumira Srivastava,Soniya Aurora (photos), Ayla Suchita Gopaul, Uma Gautam, Sumy
Sharma, Sumangala Menon,Zhart Joshon, Bjp Join (photos), Snehal Khandare, Surendra
Miya (photos), Renu Verma, Rekhs Hc,Siddharth Kalki (photos), Aashan Sajjan Gurukkal (photos), BjpAndaman Nicobar-islands (photos),Divya Bansal, Maddy Nair Shaiju (photos), Madhur
Agrawal (photos), Rashmeen Singh (photos),Anahata Menon, Aam Aadmi (photos), Shivam Nair (photos)
Top of Form
Pillay Ravim
The following extract is from Wonders of Things Created, and marvels of Things Existing by Asaru-LBilad, a 13th century Arab geographer. It contains the following description of Somnath temple and its
destruction:
Bottom of Form
----------------------------------------------------------_____________________________________________
THE DESTRUCTUION OF THE SOMNATH TEMPLE ...... AND WE REBUILT IS .. SEE THE ABUM PLS ...........
Photograph of the Somanatha Temple at Somnath, Prabhas Patan, in Gujarat, from the south, taken by
D.H. Sykes around 1869.
SOMNATH TEMPLE SANDAL WOOD DOOR ~ WHICH MOMAMED GHAZNAVI TOOK WITH HIM TO CHAZNI .
The folding doors shown were reputed to be the famous Sandalwood Doors, carried off in 1026 by
Mahmud after his destruction of the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, during the last of his devastatingly
successful forays in India.
The British removed them from the tomb in 1842, laboriously transporting them to Agra Fort, where they
were found to be replicas of the original.
Lane Poole, author of Medieval India, has said that Mahommad of Ghazni, "who had vowed that every
year should see him wage a holy war against the infidels of Hindustan" could not rest from his idolbreaking campaign so long as the temple of Somnath remained inviolate. It was for this specific purpose
that he, at the very close of his career, undertook his arduous march across the desert from Multan to
Anhilwada on the coast, fighting as he went, until he saw at last the famous temple. Mahmud Ghazni
attacked this temple in 1026 A.D. and after a week-long resistance, captured it.
When the soldiers scaled the walls with ladders all they found inside were defenseless worshippers. Fifty
thousand devotees praying to the linga and weeping passionately with hands clasped were massacred in
cold blood. The Shiva Linga, adorned with gems and precious stones was broken and the temple burnt.
After the battle, Mahmud and his troops are described as having carried away across the desert the
equivalent of 6.5 tons of gold. The fragments of the idol were carried off to grace the conquerors' palace
and the temple gates were set up at Ghazni.
Mahmud was hailed throughout the Islamic world as a second Mohammed and his smashing of Somnath
was lauded in the Sufi poetry of Attar, Sanai and Omar Khayyam. These poets equated Somnath with the
temples to the pagan goddess
Al-Manat destroyed by Mohammed and viewed its destruction as the 'will of Allah' and the 'enlightened
march of Islam.' The sack of Somnath made Mahmud of Ghazni a champion of the faith in the eyes of
every Muslim.
Minhaj-as-Siraj tells us how Mahmud became widely known for having destroyed as many as thousand
temples, and of his great feat in destroying the temple of Somnath and carrying off its idol, which he
asserts was broken into four parts.
One part he deposited in the Jami Masjid of Ghazni, one he placed at the entrance of the royal palace,
the third he sent to Mecca, and the fourth to Medina.
--------------___________________________
Photograph of the Somanatha Temple at Somnath, Prabhas Patan, in Gujarat, the Garbhagriha taken by
D.H. Sykes around 1869.
MORE THAN 50,000 MEN WOMAN AND CHILDREN WERE MURDERED IN LUST FOR WEALTH BY THIS
ISLAMIC ZEALOT AND NOW HIS DECENDANTS STILL THREATEN US ... !!
TIME TO END THIS ATTACKS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lane Poole, author of Medieval India, has said that Mahommad of Ghazni, "who had vowed that every
year should see him wage a holy war against the infidels of Hindustan" could not rest from his idolbreaking campaign so long as the temple of Somnath remained inviolate. It was for this specific purpose
that he, at the very close of his career, undertook his arduous march across the desert from Multan to
Anhilwada on the coast, fighting as he went, until he saw at last the famous temple. Mahmud Ghazni
attacked this temple in 1026 A.D. and after a week-long resistance, captured it.
When the soldiers scaled the walls with ladders all they found inside were defenseless worshippers. Fifty
thousand devotees praying to the linga and weeping passionately with hands clasped were massacred in
cold blood. The Shiva Linga, adorned with gems and precious stones was broken and the temple burnt.
After the battle, Mahmud and his troops are described as having carried away across the desert the
equivalent of 6.5 tons of gold. The fragments of the idol were carried off to grace the conquerors' palace
and the temple gates were set up at Ghazni.
Mahmud was hailed throughout the Islamic world as a second Mohammed and his smashing of Somnath
was lauded in the Sufi poetry of Attar, Sanai and Omar Khayyam. These poets equated Somnath with the
temples to the pagan goddess
Al-Manat destroyed by Mohammed and viewed its destruction as the 'will of Allah' and the 'enlightened
march of Islam.' The sack of Somnath made Mahmud of Ghazni a champion of the faith in the eyes of
every Muslim.
Minhaj-as-Siraj tells us how Mahmud became widely known for having destroyed as many as thousand
temples, and of his great feat in destroying the temple of Somnath and carrying off its idol, which he
asserts was broken into four parts.
One part he deposited in the Jami Masjid of Ghazni, one he placed at the entrance of the royal palace,
the third he sent to Mecca, and the fourth to Medina.
DRAWING OF MOHAMMAD OF GHAZNI GOING AWAY WITH THE LOOT OF THE SOMNATH
MORE THAN 50,000 MEN WOMAN AND CHILDREN WERE MURDERED IN LUST FOR WEALTH BY THIS
ISLAMIC ZEALOT AND NOW HIS DECENDANTS STILL THREATEN US ... !!
Lane Poole, author of Medieval India, has said that Mahommad of Ghazni, "who had vowed that every
year should see him wage a holy war against the infidels of Hindustan" could not rest from his idolbreaking campaign so long as the temple of Somnath remained inviolate. It was for this specific purpose
that he, at the very close of his career, undertook his arduous march across the desert from Multan to
Anhilwada on the coast, fighting as he went, until he saw at last the famous temple. Mahmud Ghazni
attacked this temple in 1026 A.D. and after a week-long resistance, captured it.
When the soldiers scaled the walls with ladders all they found inside were defenseless worshippers. Fifty
thousand devotees praying to the linga and weeping passionately with hands clasped were massacred in
cold blood. The Shiva Linga, adorned with gems and precious stones was broken and the temple burnt.
After the battle, Mahmud and his troops are described as having carried away across the desert the
equivalent of 6.5 tons of gold. The fragments of the idol were carried off to grace the conquerors' palace
and the temple gates were set up at Ghazni.
Mahmud was hailed throughout the Islamic world as a second Mohammed and his smashing of Somnath
was lauded in the Sufi poetry of Attar, Sanai and Omar Khayyam. These poets equated Somnath with the
temples to the pagan goddess
Al-Manat destroyed by Mohammed and viewed its destruction as the 'will of Allah' and the 'enlightened
march of Islam.' The sack of Somnath made Mahmud of Ghazni a champion of the faith in the eyes of
every Muslim.
Minhaj-as-Siraj tells us how Mahmud became widely known for having destroyed as many as thousand
temples, and of his great feat in destroying the temple of Somnath and carrying off its idol, which he
asserts was broken into four parts.
One part he deposited in the Jami Masjid of Ghazni, one he placed at the entrance of the royal palace,
the third he sent to Mecca, and the fourth to Medina.
History of Shri Somnath Temple : Skanda Purana, in a chapter on Prabhasa Khanda, describes the
emergence of this Jyotirlinga.
The Divine Mother took birth in Daksha house in the form of Sati and after performing tapasya, became
Shiva wife, and went to live with him on Mount Kailash. Her 27 sisters as the purana says wwere married
to the Moon God i.e. 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati. Amongst all his wives, he had special love
towards Rohini and neglected the others.
Seeing the negligence of Chandra towards his other wives Prajapati Daksha cursed Chandra that he
would lose his beauty and radiance. But because of a moon devoid of radiance and beauty the entire
world became lifeless. A disturbed Chandra, came down to Prabhasa with Rohini and worshipped the
Sparsa Linga of Somnath after which he was blessed by Shiva to grow and shine in the bright half.
As the moon regained his light here, this town came to be known as Prabhasa. Brahma, one of the trinity,
installed the Brahmashila, and paved way for the construction of the temple. On the request of the
Chandrama and other gods
Bhagwan Shankar assumed the name Somchandra (Jyotirlinga) and resided there eternally. He became
famous by the name Somnath in the three worlds. Since, it was the Prabhas Kshetra where Bhagwan Shri
Krishna performed all his Lilas. In this temple there is a small cave in which a lamp burns continuously.
The Skanda Purana describes the Sparsa Linga of Somnath as one bright as the sun, the size of an egg,
lodged underground. The Mahabharata also refers to the Prabhasa Kshetra and the legend of the moon
worshipping Shiva.
In this photo: Dhriti Chandel (photos), Ashwin Majithiya, Madhu Shrivastava, Bhakti Priya, Shalini
Guha, Rekha Ganesan (photos), Deepak Tomar (photos), Balbeer Singh (photos), Ambily
Achu(photos), Antar Chetna, Bjp-Andaman Nicobar-islands (photos), Dhaval S Patel (photos), Ria
Pandit,Divya Bansal, Vatsala Udugama, Aryaman Basu (photos), Sundari Radha
Dasi (photos), Dhaneshwar SriRam, Sajith Nambiar, Anurag P Singh Rathore, Chuckles Cat, Dipak
Joshi (photos), Dina Das(photos), Srivatsan Desikamani, Ramani Kothandaraman, rama, Ck Vishwanath
Vishwanath (photos),Aswathy Menakath, Rekhs Hc, Deepak Kumar Kushwaha (photos), Maddy Nair
Shaiju (photos), Taka Gani, Devendra Sharma, Divya Mitra (photos), Omkar Prasad
Chaudhuri (photos), Arjunbharat Jaihind(photos), Sumy Sharma, Anjani Devi Dasi, Sanjay
Tomar, Sweta Mishraa, Sukanta Das, Parvathy P Pillai (photos), Tanuja Thakur (photos), Shyamala Gopa
Kishori, Bjp West Bengal (photos), Sangharam Hindu Sangharam (photos), Ajay
Bhadrike (photos | remove tag), Prateek Wolf Mishra (photos), Ayla Suchita Gopaul, Anahata Menon
Top of Form
Pillay Ravim
The temple of Somnath was built by King Vikarmaditya , in the medieval times or copper age, some
2,500 years ago (approx) to worship God Shiv and Somanth is one of the TWELVE JYOTIRLINGAMS that
we have in Bharat...
A SYMBOLISM OF THE CULTURA...L PHILOSOPHY OF VEDIC ANCIENT INDIA ~ THE GLORIOUS OF ALL
CIVILIZATIONS
story behind the word SOMNATH...meaning:
1. what is the real meaning of the word somnath? who is somnath?
2. what is the connection of Shiv with the title somnath?
3. when was it originally built and what happened later?
Somnath, the word, means The Lord (Nath) of Nectar or the Elixir (Som), drinking which Immortality is
attained.....
Its not so difficult to appreciate that the word "Somnath" has some very deep and spiritual
significance.....
It means drinking such a KNOWLEDGE or GYAN from the Lord (God) Himself.... from the Nath of
Som.........such that the soul becomes Immortal.
So, this means that the DRINK or the Som is NOT physical in nature but has spiritual connotation , i.e.,
the drink of GYAN.
and secondly, the drink is meant for the SOUL.........
Any spiritual practitioner would understand that the FOOD OR DRINK OR FUEL FOR THE SOUL IS
GYAN.......
Interestingly, the entire scriptures of Bharat are redundant with the aspect and concept of SOUL.....and
any spiritual practitioner would undertsand that a SOUL, by nature , is Immortal, Imperishable,
Indestructible, ...but still how MANY spiritualists remain in this experience of BEING AN IMMORTAL SOUL
IN THE MORTAL BODY OR COIL...or that THEY ARE IMMORTAL POINTS OF LIGHT AND MIGHT, The
Souls.....!
At the Confluence of end of Iron Age (Kaliyug) and start of Golden Age (Satyug) is the Auspicious and
Benevolent Sangam Yug, which is the PRESENT TIMES OF TRANSITION,..............which is prominently
marked by the Divine Incarnation of God Himself, Shiv, the Benevolent One, The Father of all
Souls...Sada-shiv.....Sada Kalyaankari....
Bottom of Form
In Saurashtra Somanatha:Gujarat
In Shrishailam Mallikarjunam:Andhra Pradesh
Mahaa kaala in Ujjain: Madhya Pradesh
Mamaleshwara in Omkareshwar:an island in Narmada shaped like OM,Madhya
Pradesh
Himalaye tu Kedaaram,Dakinyaam Bhima Shankaram||
Vaaranasyam tu Vishvesham Tryambakam Gautamitate||
*
*
*
*
Vaidyanatha in Parali:Jarkhand
Naagehswar in Daruka forest:Gujarat
Rameshwar in Setubandam:Tamil Nadu
Ghrishneshwara:Mahaaraashtraa
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The following extract is from Wonders of Things Created, and marvels of Things Existing by Asaru-LBilad, a 13th century Arab geographer. It contains the following description of Somnath temple and its
destruction:
Somnath: celebrated city of India, situated on the shore of the sea, and washed by its waves. Among
the wonders of that place was the temple in which was placed the idol called Somnath.
This idol was in the middle of the temple without anything to support it from below, or to suspend it from
above. It was held in the highest honor among the Hindus, and whoever beheld it floating in the air was
SOMNATH CIRCUIT ~ MAIN TEMPLE COMPLEX ABOUT 10 YEARS OLD PICTURE ... NOWADAYS CAMERA
NOT ALLOWED
SHIVA LINGAM DESECRATED BY THE ISLAMIC ZEALOTS AND THROWN IN THE SEA ...AND U WILL KNOW
THE RELIGION OF PEACE IS REALLY " RELIGION OF PISS ""
SOMNATH CIRCUIT : THE WARIOR RAJPUT OF SOMNATH WHO WAS KILLED ALONGWITH 50,000 OF HIS
MEN AND WOMEN AND CHILDREN BY MOHAMMED OF GHAZNI
SOMNATH CIRCUIT ~ DEHOTSARGA. WHERE KRISHNA LEFT HIS MORTAL BODY . THE BOARD
ANNOUNCING THE ACTUAL DATES OF RELEASE FROM THE MORTAL COIL
SOMNATH CIRCUIT ~MUSUEM WHICH HAS 11TH CENTURY VERSION OF THE SOMNATH TEMPLE WITH 5
DOMES AND MANY PILLARS .
SOMNATH CIRCUIT ~MUSUEM WHICH HAS 11TH CENTURY VERSION OF THE SOMNATH TEMPLE WITH 5
DOMES AND MANY PILLARS .
SOMNATH CIRCUIT ~ THE TRIVENI SANGAMAM, , CONFLUENCE OF HIRAN KAPILA AND SARWASATI .. THIS
IS ONE THE PLACE WHERE HINDUS COME FOR THE PIRTU KARMA RITUALS IN GUJARAT
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SOMNATH CIRCUIT ~ DEHOTSARGA WHERE KRISHNA LEFT HIS MORTAL BODY . TEMPLE OF KRISHNA
THE OLD TEMPLE WELL WHERE WATER USED TO BE COLLECTED FOR CLEANING
STAIRS LEADING TO THE COVERED POND TEMPLE OF THE SUN TEMPLE OF SOMNATHA
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SOMNATHA CIRCUIT : TEMPLE BUILT BY BHIMA TEMPLE AT DEHOTARGA ... IT HOUSES A SHIVA LINGAM
SOMNATH CIRCUIT ~ DEHOTSARGA WHERE KRISHNA LEFT HIS MORTAL BODY . TEMPLE OF BALARAMA
AND FROM WHERE HE WENT IN TO THE PATALA LOKA
SOMNATH CIRCUIT ~ BHALKA TIRTH . TYHE PLACE WHERE FROM THE BHIL SHOT THE ARROW TO SHRI
KRISNA'S FEET THINKING IT WAS A PIGEON ... AS RESULT OF KARMA AGAINST SHRI RAMA KILLING BALI IN
RAMAYANA