2017-08-19 Sat

Religion and Temple have their way together! Temples are not just structures but are also divine space of positivity.

In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is the Supreme Being. So if you are the follower of Lord Shiva you must be aware of the 12 jyotirlingas. It is believed that Lord Shiva first manifested himself on Earth on the night of the Aridra Nakshatra, thus the special reverence for the Jyotirlinga.

Somnath temple is considered to be the first of the 12 Jyotirlingas, located in Gujarat. This is a highly revered pilgrimage site in the country.

There is a legend related to how this Jyotirlinga came into being. According to the Shiva Purana, the moon was married to 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati, out of which he loved Rohini the most. Seeing his negligence towards the other wives, Prajapati cursed moon that it would lose all its radiance. A disturbed moon along with Rohini came to Somnath and worshipped the Sparsa Lingam after which he was blessed by Shiva to regain his lost beauty and shine. On his request, Lord Shiva assumed the name Somchandra and resided there eternally. He became famous by the name Somnath.

The Somanath temple is said to exist before the beginning of Christian era. It was rebuilt by the Maitraka kings of Vallabhi around 649 AD. In 725, the Arab governor of Sind sent his armies to destroy the second temple. The Pratihara king Nagabhata II constructed the third temple in 815 AD, a large structure of red sandstone. Mahmud of Ghazni attacked this temple in 1025 AD and looted gems and precious stones. He massacred the worshippers, burnt the temple and destroyed the linga.

Again the temple was rebuilt by the Paramara King Bhoj of Malwa and Solanki king of Bhima of Gujarat between 1026 and 1042 AD. The temple was razed in 1297, 1397 and by Aurangzeb in 1706 AD.

The present day temple was finally built on 1st December 1995! Hmmm…The Somnath temple itself narrates the story of its destructing and rebuilding. India released a definitive stamp onSomnath of 60 Paisa. It depicts the beautiful Somnath temple.

Visit this historical and religious Jyotirlinga once in your lifetime and keep chanting Har Har Mahadev!!