By road
~400 km from Ahmedabad, ~190-214 km from Rajkot
West India · Gujarat
Somnath, Gujarat
The first Jyotirlinga, rebuilt against the sea · ~400 km from Ahmedabad, ~190-214 km from Rajkot
Getting there
By rail
Veraval, ~7 km
By air
Diu Airport, ~90 km; Rajkot (~190-214 km) has more flight options
Best time to visit
October to March; aarti at dusk any time of year
Don't miss
Somnath Temple
Bhalka Tirtha
Triveni Sangam
Panch Pandav Gufa
Things to do
Evening aarti
Triveni Sangam walks
Gir day trips
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: B. SurajPatro1997 · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Modest wear, sandals easy to remove, evening layer for sea breeze
A quieter corner
The light-and-sound show telling the temple's seven destructions
Before you go
The seaside Jyotirlinga rebuilt many times; the evening aarti and sound-and-light show are the daily rhythm. Gir and Diu are common add-ons.
About Somnath
- Coastal
Where it is
Somnath is a temple town on the Arabian Sea coast of Gujarat's Saurashtra peninsula, at Prabhas Patan beside the fishing port of Veraval in the Gir Somnath district.
History
The Somnath Temple, revered as the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva, was plundered by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026 and destroyed and rebuilt several times over the following centuries. The present temple was rebuilt after independence and consecrated in 1951.
People
Somnath's people speak Gujarati, and the town lives from its temple and pilgrims, while neighbouring Veraval is one of Gujarat's major fishing harbours.
Known for
- Somnath Temple on the seashore
- The evening aarti at the temple
- Triveni Sangam, a meeting of three rivers
- Bhalka Tirtha, linked to Krishna's last days
- Mahashivratri celebrations
Shrines and sites
- Somnath Temple
- Triveni Sangam ghat
- Bhalka Tirth
- Gita Mandir
Traditions
- Hindu
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.