Somnath Temple - Patan

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Somnath of Prabhas Pattana, situated on the southern coast of Saurastra, in the province of Sorath, now known as Jungadh in the state of Gujarat, holds the prestigious temple of Sri Someshwar, which is supposed to have witnessed the dawn of time. The present temple is an imposing structure: its imposing exterior is adorned with marvellous sculpture; it has a grand sabha mandap in front; its shikhara measures 155 feet. The jyotirlinga installed on the Brahmasila is about four feet in height and is adorned with spectacular sandal paste decorations, a novelty here. There are hundreds of priests in the service of the Lord, attending to His needs, round the clock.

The Somnath temple is dedicated to Someshwara, another name of Lord Shiva with moon on his head. The temple is situated in Saurashtra. It is believed that Somraj, the Moon God himself had originally built the temple out of gold. Somnath is the first of all the 12 jyotirlingas. Though the temple is of Hindu origin, the Architecture has Jain influences. The Somnath temple has been destroyed six times and have been rebuilt. The temple faces the east direction. Externally the Somnath temple resembles the Rudramala temple at Siddhapur. The dome of the temple is the biggest ever made in this century. The temple has large central hall with entrances on three sides, each protected by a lofty porch. The temple carvings and the sculptures speak about the great artistic endeavor made by the craftsmen of that era. At a certain interval in the balconied corridor is a deformed Nataraja statue.

Chandra married the twenty seven daughters (stars) of Daksha, but was very partial and showed lot more love and affection to rohini. The remaining twenty six wives not only felt neglected but also insulted. They were disappointed with their husband and went and complained to their father. Daksha was upset to see his daughters suffer thus, and tried twice to convince his son-in-law to change himself, but in vain. He put a curse on him that Chandra would be “decreasing” in size.

The Devas (Celestial gods) were very sad at Chandra’s plight and went to Brahma. The Creator, in order to find out a remedy for this condition of Chandra and get a solution for redressing the curse. Brahma told them that the only way out was to worship Vrishabhdhwaj Shankar at Prabhas Kshetra Mahamrityunjay. Chandra went on a penance for six months and prayed to Lord Shiva, at the end of which Shankara appeared before him. He gave Chandra the boon that in a month, he would grow for fifteen days in one half and in the other half he would keep loosing one Kala (shade) per day and decrease in size. He was pleased with the Devas and in order to increase the prestige of the place, Lord Shiva Himself came to be known as Someshwar, meaning famous moon (Soma). The Devas established a Someshwar Kund there. By taking a holy dip in this pond or Kund, it is believed that one would obtain release from all the sins.

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It is a pleasant spot connected by good roads. 'Gangaji Fair' is a organized here every year which attracts plenty of tourist.There are few other attractive tourist places s in Daman like Devka Beach, Jampore Beach, irrigation pond-lake in Kachigam, Nani Danan jetty garden and Hilsa summer house near Hilsa fish Aquarium.

Lakshmi Narayanan Temple:
Shri Lakshminarayan Mandir is closeby to the Balramjiki Gufa a place from where the banks of Hiran are at a distance of 1.5km from Somnath temple.. The Balramjiki Gufa is the place from where Bhagwan Shrikrishna's elder brother Balaramji took journey to his nijdham-patal. This temple is closeby to Gita mandir temple.Both these temples are said to be built recently.It is dedicated to Lord LakshmiNarayanan which is said to be the replica of the LakshmiNarayanan temple in Badrinath.This temple depicts one of the sacred places of the Prabhas teerth.

Old Somnath Temple:
The Somnath Temple located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat. Somnath means The Protector of Moon God.The temple is also known as the Shrine Eternal. This temple has the Shivling built below ground level which is accepted by Hindus having great divinity. The rituals/Pooja performed here are believed to bring fruition to the wishes. The temple was (re)built by the Maratha warrior and saint queen Ahilyabai Holkar famous for building other important temples at locations where temples were destroyed by the muslim looters (gaznis). India is one of the twelve Jyotirlings (lingas of light) symbols of the God Shiva. The temple has been destroyed six times it has been rebuilt every single time.

Somnath Parasuram Temple:
This is a sacred spot at the holy banks of Triveni where Bhagwan Parshuram conducted his long penance and he was relieved from the curse of Kshatriya killings by Bhagwan Somnath. Divine leela Parshuram is perpetnated here by a beautiful Parshuram Temple and two ancient kunds.

The temple has a very simple architecture. The plan is formed by, a sabhamandap, the easternmost part of the scheme, a central mandap, and a garbhagriha.The garbhagriha has 3 idols with Lord Parasuram in the middle and Kala and Kama to the right and left.Outside the temple there is a small courtyard with Hanuman shrine & Ganesh shrine.Behind the temple there is a structure devoted to Lord Parasurams mother Renuka.

Panch Pandav Gufa:
Panch Pandava temple is located near Lalghati.It is believed that this temple was found in the year 1949 by the late Baba Narayandas.Panch Padava temple in Somnath is dedicated to the Pandavas, ... vyas gufa, hauman temple and finally to Narayan temple which is a 108 divya desam.

In the temple the devotees can find, beautiful idols of Lord Shiva, Ram - Laxman, Sitaji, Goddes Durga and Hanuman built. People and devotees from different places come for darshan everyday. A sanskrit college is also located in the campus. people interested in taking up varied Sanskrit courses can join this institution.

Jyothirlinga Temple:
The Somnath temple is dedicated to Someshwara, another name of Lord Shiva with moon on his head. The temple is situated in Saurashtra. It is believed that this temple was originally built in gold. Of all the 12 jyotirlingas Somnath is the first. Though the temple is of Hindu origin, the Architecture has Jain influences.

The Somnath temple has been destroyed six times and have been rebuilt. The temple faces the east direction. Externally the Somnath temple resembles the Rudramala temple at Siddhapur. The temple has biggest dome ever made and large central hall with entrances on three sides, each protected by a lofty porch. The temple carvings and the sculptures depicts the great artistic endeavor made by the craftsmen of that era. At a certain interval in the balconied corridor is a deformed Nataraja statue.

Suraj Mandir:
Suraj in Sanskrit means sun. Suraj Mandir or the Sun Temple dates back to the same time as the Somnath Temple. Though its history is obscure we know for certain that it was raided by Mahmud of Gazni during the same time as he raided somnath.

This temple is located North of the sangam (where three rivers meet). The architecture features many animal figurines like lions, and huge elephant trunks. People in those times were nature worshippers and use to believe blindly the forces of nature. Suraj Mandir was set up as a reverence to the sun god.It is a place of historical importance

Triveni Ghat:
Triveni Ghat in Somnath is one such spot where three Rivers namely Hiran, Kapil and Saraswati meet with the Arabian Sea. The confluence of the three rivers or Sangam as it is referred to in Hindu religious terms is one of the most pious places in India.

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Sasan Gir Forest,Gir National Park:
Sasan Gir National Park & Lion Sanctuary is the last home of the Asiatic Lion. Spread over an area of 1412 square kilometers near Junagadh district in Gujarat, Sasan Gir is a dry deciduous habitat for the lions, dominated by short and gnarled teak trees , thorn bushes and grassland.Gir has a strange beauty in its harshness. I visited Gir at the onset of the hot and dry Indian summer in early May. Most of the vegetation had turned a golden yellow mixed with shades of brown. In this bleak and dusty landscape one came across a few green oasis's around the many rivers that run run through Gir. The starkness of the contrast is truly a Gir experience. While Sasan is rightfully best known as the home of the lion, it is by no means the only inhabitant of the forest. Gir's bio-diversity rivals any National Park in India and supports over 450 plant species, 32 mammals, 310 birds, 24 reptiles and over 2,000 insects.

Summer Palace,Holiday Camp Chorwad:
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Shakkarbaug Zoo:
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Girnar Hill:
Mount Girnar is one of the hill in Ahmedabad which is most sacred to the Jain community (the other hill is the Shatrunjaya hill located in Palitana). This hill rises to a height of more than 600 m, a climb marked by 10,000 stone-steps. On this hill various Hindu and Jain temples are located. Among these temples, five temples are the Jain temples.

Willing Dam:
The Dam is situated in the east of city with a beautiful garden at the foot hill of Dattar. The Dam was completed in 1936 AD.T

Chorwad Beach:
A visit to Chorwad Beach in Gujarat, India, offers ample of opportunity to the tourists to know about the ins and outs of the Chorwad Beach in Gujarat, India. Chorwad Beach in Gujarat, India is yet another beautiful and scenic spot which if marketed well can figure high in the itinerary of the domestic and international tourists. Chorwad Beach is an interesting and alluring amalgamation of rocky crags and bowlderish seafront along with jaunty boat rides across the Chorwad seafront and to cap it all with opportunities to visit Porbandar and Somnath and other nearby beach destinations and other travel destinations worth their salt in terms of beauty and ambience.

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