Somnath Mandir
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| Somnath Mandir |
Somnath temple is the holy place of the Aadi Jyotirling Shree Somnath Mahadev and the sacred soil from where Bhagvan Shri Krishna took his last journey to his neejdham.
Somnath temple stands at the shore of the Arabian ocean on the western corner
of Indian subcontinent in Gujarat State. This pilgrimage is one of the
oldest and finds its reference in the ancient texts like Skandpuran,
Shreemad Bhagavat, Shivpuran etc. The hymn from Rig-Veda quoted below
mention the Bhagvan Someshwar along with the great pilgrimage like
Gangaji, Yamunaji and Eastward Saraswati. This signifies the ancient
value of this Tirthdham.
Somnath is in Prabhas Patan very near to Veraval Gujarat.
The
Moon God is said to have been relieved from the curse of his
father-in-law Daksha Prajapati by the blessings of Bhagvan Somnath. In
the Shiva Purana and Nandi Upapurana, Shiva said, `I am always
present everywhere but specially in 12 forms and places as the
Jyotirlingas`. Somnath is one of these 12 holy places. This is the
first among the twelve holy Shiva Jyotirlings.
The
shore temple of Somnath is believed to have been built in 4
phases-in gold by Lord Soma, in silver by Ravi, in wood by
lord Krishna and in stone by King Bhimadeva.
It
has withstood the six-repeated desecration by the Muslim invaders. The
very existence of this temple is symbol of reconstructive spirit and
cultural unity of our society.
The
seventh existing temple is built in the Kailas Mahameru Prasad style.
The Iron man of India Sardar Shri Vallabhbhai Patel is the pioneer of
the existing temple.
The
temple is consisting of Garbhgruh, Sabhamandap and Nrityamandap with a
150 feet high Shikhar. The Kalash at the top of the Shikhar weighs 10
tons and the Dhwajdand is 27 feet tall and 1 foot in circumference.
The Abadhit Samudra Marg, Tirsthambh (Arrow) indicates the unobstructed sea route to the South Pole.
The
nearest land towards South Pole is about 9936 km. away. This is a
wonderful indicator of the ancient Indian wisdom of geography and
strategic location of the Jyotirling. The temple renovated by Maharani
Ahalyabai is adjacent to the main temple complex.
Hari
Har Tirthdham is here in Somnath. This is the holy place of Bhagvan
Shri Krishna's Neejdham Prasthan Leela. The place where Bhagvan Shri
Krishna was hit by an arrow of a poacher is known as Bhalka Tirtha.
After being hit
by the arrow, Bhagvan Shri Krishna arrived at the holy confluence of
Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati and their Sangam with the ocean. He
performed his divine Neejdham Prasthan Leela at the sacred and peaceful
banks of river Hiran.
The
Geetamandir is built here where the divine message of Shrimad Bhagavat
Geeta is carved on eighteen marble pillars. Shri Lakshminarayan Mandir
is close by. The Balramjiki Gufa is the place from where Bhagvan
Shrikrishna's elder brother Balaramji took journey to his nijdham-patal.
Here
is the Parshuram Tapobhumi, where Bhagvan Parshuramji carried out
penance and he was relieved from the sin of Kshatriya killings. The
Pandavas have said to have visited this place and taken holy bath in the
Jalprabhas and built five Shiv temples.
The Somnath Trust has endeavored to develop the whole Shri Krishna Neejdham Prasthan Tirtha in an wholesome manner.
