SomnathHome to one of the 12 sacred ShivaJyotirlinga's in India, the grandeurof Somnath is sure to take yourbreath away. The lofty shikharasadd colour to the town and flavourto the lives of people who visit it.

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Famous For : City

Somnath is famous for its grand Shivatemple, one of the 12 reveredJyotirlingas, located right on the shore of theArabian Sea, inJunagadh District. As legend has it, theoriginal temple was built by the moon god(Soma) in gratitude to Shiva for mitigatingthe impact of a terrible curse. The templehas had a chequered history. Said to havebeen a fabulously wealthy temple, Somnathwas plundered, and also destroyed, severaltimes for its treasures — most famously byMahmud of Ghazni in 1026. The last raidwas by Aurangzeb in 1701 who had amosque built at the site of the temple.

Housing a calm and quiet beach and just acouple of streets, the ancient town ofSomnath is a hot spot for pilgrims withpilgrims descending to shower theirdevotion at the Somnath Temple. It findsmention in the Hindu puranas and theMahabharata. Literally translated as the"Lord of the Moon," the town and its templecelebrate the most auspicious Karthik

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Poornima (or full-moon) in the month ofNovember/ December with full fervour andflavour. The reverberating sounds of Shivbhajans and the legend, culture andtradition surrounding it, will accompany youduring your entire stay at Somanth. It hasbeen popularly dubbed as the "shrineeternal," for its ability to stand tall in theface of destruction - it's been rebuilt sixtimes.

When To

VISIThttp://www.ixigo.com/weather-in-somnath-lp-1046944

JanPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen.Max:29.200000762939453°C

Min:15.699999809265137°C

Rain: 3.5mm

FebPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen.Max:29.899999618530273°C

Min: 17.0°C Rain:0.20000000298023224mm

MarPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen.Max:31.799999237060547°C

Min:19.799999237060547°C

Rain:2.200000047683716mm

AprPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen.Max:32.099998474121094°C

Min:22.799999237060547°C

Rain: 0.0mm

MayPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen.Max:32.79999923706055°C

Min:26.200000762939453°C

Rain:4.400000095367432mm

JunPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen,umbrella.Max: 32.5°C Min:

27.399999618530273°C

Rain:134.8000030517578mm

JulPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen,umbrella.Max:30.700000762939453°C

Min:26.600000381469727°C

Rain:269.79998779296875mm

AugPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen,umbrella.Max:29.799999237060547°C

Min:25.700000762939453°C

Rain: 220.5mm

SepPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen,umbrella.Max:31.200000762939453°C

Min:25.100000381469727°C

Rain: 112.0mm

OctPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen.Max:34.099998474121094°C

Min: 23.5°C Rain:14.600000381469727mm

NovPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen.Max: 33.5°C Min:

20.899999618530273°C

Rain: 5.0mm

DecPleasant weather. Carry Light woollen.

Somnath Travel Guide - http://www.ixigo.com/travel-guide/somnath page 2

Max:30.799999237060547°C

Min: 17.5°C Rain:2.0999999046325684mm

What To

SEE5 Sights

http://www.ixigo.com/places-to-visit-see-in-somnath-lp-1046944

1 Somnath Temple

Somnath Prabhas Patan, Junagadh,Gujarat 362268, India

Somnath Temple is an important landmarkin Gujarat. It's popurarity is only exceededby theDwarkadhish Temple in Dwarka. The templeis located 5 kms from Junagadh. The templeis considered as one of the twelveJyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. It is believed to bethe place from where Lord Krishnaembarked on his last journey. The templefinds mention in the epics, including RigVeda and more.

It is said that Somnath was built out of goldby Somraj and was later rebuilt by Ravana insilver. Interestingly, the temple was built andrebuilt several times in the course of its richhistory having being destroyedsixteen times by Muslim invaders. Nowonder it's called 'the Shrine Eternal'.

  Gently cooled by ocean winds, the templegives one a glorious sense of space andlight. Built in the Chalukyan style, its mainshikhara soars to 155 ft and the stonekalash atop it weighs 10 tonnes. The floralalankara of the huge Shivaling is particularlynoteworthy. It is a real treat to participate inthe aarti, do so more than once if possible.Drums, cymbals and bells combine toorchestrate a 30-min symphony of musicthat rises to an inspiring crescendo.

A Sound and Light Show (8:00 PM-9:00 PM)is held, with an amazing ocean-view setting.The beach can be accessed from the temple.Many devotees visit Somnath forMahashivaratri (Feb) and the Kartik PurnimaMela (Oct/ Nov).

2 Shree Parshuram Temple

The banks of Triveni

Located in Somnath,Shree Parshuram Temple is one of thepopular attractions for God lovers. Thetemple is on the banks of Triveni Tirth and isa must visit place for all the devotees. Thispopular temple still attracts thousands ofdevotees everyday. The temple issurrounded with beautiful landscapes,which makes it a wonderful site to see. Ifyou are planning a trip to Somnath, a visit tothis famousShree Parshuram Temple should be in youritinerary.

3 Shree ShashibhushanMahadev and BhidbhanjanGanapatiji

Located at a distance of 4 km fromSomnath-Veraval highway

This temple is the worship place ofShashibhushan with Bhidbhanjan (LordGanesh).

4 Parasuram Temple

Junagarh District,Somnath

5 Panch Pandav Gufa

Junagarh District,Somnath

Where To

Eat5 Places

http://www.ixigo.com/foods-in-of-somnath-lp-1046944

1 Babhia Restaurant

Near Shiv Sagar Hotel, Somnath,Gujarat

+91-98981-93130

The place offers mouth-watering Punjabi,Chinese and Gujarati cuisines for their

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patrons.

2 Hotel Sukh Sagar Restaurant

Somnath Cross Road, Veraval,Somnath, Gujarat

+91-2876-232311

It is one of the best restaurant in town withloads of dining options for their guests.

3 Valino-Somnath

Hotel Sun Plaza, Somnath BypassCorner, P. Patan, Somnath - 362268

+919898166261

Valino-Somnath is an air conditioned &garden restaurant with trained chefs andstaff to serve multi cuisine food includingIndian, Chinese, Thai, Continental,Mediterranean, Tandoor, Italian, Punjabi,South Indian, Thali lunch, etc.

Valino-Somnath has an exclusive mocktailbar to serve choicest exotic mocktailsprepared by trained bartender.

Valino-Somnath has great ambience andorganises live music & live events like gazal,guitarist, karaoke, dairo, etc.

4 Paradise Restaurant

Opposite Aradhna talkies, Patan road

9898363084

5 Hotel abhay

Veraval Una highway sutrapada fatak

9512379897

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Quick

LOCATEhttp://www.ixigo.com/hotels-in-somnath-lp-1046944

SeeA: Somnath TempleB: Shree Parshuram TempleC: Shree Shashibhushan Mahadev andBhidbhanjan GanapatijiD: Parasuram TempleE: Panch Pandav Gufa

AccommodationF: The Grand Daksh : SomnathG: Hotel Sun PlazaH: Hotel Shree SomnathI: The Grand Daksh : SomnathJ: Hotel Sun PlazaK: Hotel Shree SomnathL: The Grand Daksh : SomnathM: Hotel Sun PlazaN: Hotel Shree Somnath

FoodO: Babhia RestaurantP: Hotel Sukh Sagar RestaurantQ: Valino-SomnathR: Paradise RestaurantS: Hotel abhay