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The Somnath temple (also known as the Deo Patan) located in Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, India is believed to be the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.It is an important pilgrimage and tourist spot of Gujarat. Reconstructed several times in the past after repeated destruction by several Muslim invaders and rulers, the present mandir was reconstructed in the Chaulukya style of Hindu temple architecture and completed in May 1951.

It is believed that the original temple was built by the Moon God with gold in the Satya Yuga; by Ravana in Treta Yuga in silver; and by Lord Krishna in Dwapara Yuga in sandalwood.

This temple has been looted and demolished many times by various invaders – by Mahmud of Ghazni (1024), Afzal Khan, Ala-ud-din Khilji’s commander (1296), Muzaffar Shah (1375), Mahmud Begada (1451), and later Aurangzeb (1665).

Many rulers reconstructed the temple: Shri Vikramaditya of Ujjaini (about 2500 years ago), the Vallabhi kings (in the period 480-767 CE), Bhimadeva of Anhilawada (in 11th century AD), and Khangara, the king of Junagadh (in 1351 AD) among many others.

It has been reconstructed about 17 times! The modern structure has been constructed by India’s former deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel between 1947 and 1951 in sandstone.

It is believed that Chandra, the moon god, was married to the 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati. However, he favored Rohini over all the rest. This angered Prajapati, who insisted that he be impartial in his affections. When Chandra did not heed his warnings, Prajapati cursed him and made him lose his luster.

Without moonlight, the world became dark; so all the gods requested Prajapati to retract his curse. Daksha suggested that Chandra pray to Lord Shiva, which is why the Lord is referred to as Somnath or Someshwar, Lord of the Moon. It is said that Chandra also bathed in the Saraswati river to regain his luster, which is the reason for the waxing and waning of the moon and the tides in this seashore location.

The temple features an elaborate and extravagant architecture marked with many rich, intricate carvings. The temple is seven storied and reaches up to a height of 155ft. The architectural pattern exhibited by the temple is the Chalukya architectural pattern. The architectural beauty of the Somnath Temple ideally mirrors the masonry skills of Sampuras who are Gujarat’s master masons. The temple’s positioning is quite unique. The temple is positioned in such a way that not a single piece of land is visible from the Somnath seashore until Antarctica.

A magnificent Kalash or pot vessel tops the temple Shikhara and weighs up to 10 tones approximately. The summit is adorned with a flag whose mast is 37ft in length. The temple’s entrance has an enticing photo gallery near it. This gallery exhibits photos telling the tale of the ancient temple’s ruins, renovations and excavations. The temple’s architecture is simply splendid and is adorned with breath-taking stone carvings & sculptures.

The temple in its interior has a Garbha Griha with the Jyotirlingam enshrined in it, a Sabha Mandap or assembly hall and a Nrityamandap. The ceiling is made out of loadstone and is decked with exquisite watercolor paintings. It is said that once upon a time, the temple interior is decked up most lavishly with precious gems and jewels. But attackers and invaders attacked the temple from time to time in order to plunder all these brilliant riches.