A few days ago, I visited the Somnath temple town on the west coast of Gujarat, India. It was a longer family trip covering Sassan Gir, Dwarka and Girnar so Somnath was only a quick stop. Once there, I found out about a lot of very intriguing temples, but didn’t have time to experience them. Hence, a bucketlist for me and you when we visit this town next. 🙂

Somnath is famous for its Jyotirlinga temple. It is one of twelve Jyotirlinga temples in India. Experiencing this Shiva temple is important for all pilgrims. But there are also many other lesser known temples to visit like the old Somnath mandir, Bhalka Teerth, Chandrabhaga Maata shaktipeeth and ancient Jain temples of Prabhas Patan.

Somnath jyotirlinga temple

We spent a decent bit of time at the main Somnath temple. As we entered the garbha griha it happened to be Aarti time. This made the experience all the more powerful. Loud, rhythmic music and chanting echoed through the structure and through the hearts of the devoted throng of people. My niece who would normally burst into tears when exposed to such loud noise, was busy pleasantly clapping to the rhythm. I also, who am totally averse to large crowds felt a familiar peace and sense of oneness settle into my heart. Crowd? What crowd? This is all family.

After a fulfilling experience at this temple, including a 15 min meditation for me, we headed back out. Mom was really keen to visit the Jain temple, so that happened. The Jain bhojnalaya was already closed, so we then had lunch in a normal restaurant.

It’s only while having lunch that I looked at G maps and chatted with the waiter to realise that there were many more places that were fairly unmissable in this pilgrim town!

A bucket list of 6 Somnath Temples

So here’s the bucketlist of 6 temples that I feel you should visit along with the main Jyotirlinga temple. So plan a longer visit to Somnath, it is a wonderful seaside town with lots to see.

Old Somnath mandir

Very near the main jyotirlinga Somnath temple is the Old Somnath temple. A definite visit when time permits. Usually, I always prioritize visiting the older temples than newer ones, but in this case I was happy to visit the main temple. Because I felt that Somnath Jyotirlinga was so important for Indian Hindu system that the religious leaders would ensure a powerful shrine and proper consecration. When I was part of the aarti there I found it to be really powerful, so I wasn’t disappointed.

Jain Agama temple and other basement temples of Prabhas Patan

The temple was a beautiful one. It was closed when we went but the caretaker opened it for us. Lovely old architecture and decor. The idols also seemed very old.

The main Jain temple here is the Chandraprabhu one. But nearby there are many more. Inside this temple is another separate temple shrine in the basement. One can clearly see that it was made during the mughal invasion times, in a way that it remains hidden so that hostile invading forces wouldn’t find it easily. Lots to explore and wonder at here.

This Prabhas Patan is an important Jain tirth with much significance. But now with Hindu majority in the region, it is forgotten even by many of the Jain pilgrims and tourists to the town.

This bucket list post reminds me of a similar bucketlist post I wrote for Jaipur. It’s so happened on my Jaipur trip, way back in 2014, that while I did roam around the city for a few days, the “spots” I covered were very few. Partly this was because I spent an inordinate amount of time in only two places – Hawa Mahal & Jantar Mantar.

Bhalka Teerth: Where Krishna Died

Our very own Krishna bhagwan left his body here in Somnath. If you know the Mahabharata story, he was pierced in his heel by Hunter Jara’s arrow, as per Gandhari’s curse that he would die as a normal human. Soon after he left his body. And the place this happened is called Bhalka Teerth. It is very much in Somnath. I consider it unmissable but well, social situations made me miss it. When He calls, I shall be happy to visit again 🙂

Chandrabhaga Shaktipeeth

Reminder to self, near every Jyotirlinga there is usually a Shaktipeeth, a powerful Devi temple. Very late in the day I realised that the Chandrabhaga shaktipeeth is located here. Again – unmissable – but well, it was missed too. Next time Chandrabhaga maate!

Lovely Rama Temple with a big yellow Hanumanji flag

From the car when we saw this temple, we thought it was the main Jyotirlinga with it’s bright and big yellow flag. But before we headed towards it, someone told us that the proper Somnath jyotirlinga mandir was in the other direction. So we course corrected. But this Ram temple looks lovely. Would love to visit once when I have more time on hand.

Surya Mandir

Always interested to visit a Surya Dev temple. Cause they are less common and often the idol has very interesting iconography. There is a Surya Dev temple here, would be interesting to visit.

So these are the temples that I found intriguing so far. But lots to explore. Many ancient looking temples could be seen here and there. So keep time on hand when you visit this land of the Moon Lord (Soma = moon=intoxication, nath = lord) 😉

Have you been to Somnath? What did you love best about it?

Useful Travel Information to Plan Your Somnath Trip

How to get there,
Closest Airport: Rajkot airport. Take a private taxi or plan for bus/train to Somnath
Closest Railway Station: Take a train to Rajkot or to Veraval. Take connecting public/private transport from there.
Closest Bus Station: You can take a private or GSRTC bus from Rajkot or any other nearby cities to Somnath. Tickets cost from 150 INR to 1500 INR

Best mode of transport: Rent a self-drive car from Rajkot visiting other interesting spots on the way

When to visit,
Best day of week: Weekdays will be less crowded than weekends. Also, check for any festivals or events though this is difficult as a lot of different communities mingle at Somnath. So, one can’t anticipate exactly the crowd situation. That is why it may be better to book your stay, transport etc.. a bit in advance.
Best time of day: Early mornings would have lesser crowd

Stay & Eat @ lot of options for restaurants and hotels at Somnath of different budgets. Head to NH 51 for fancier options. Google maps is filled with suggestions. 🙂