The
Someshwar Mahadev temple stands tall among the temples of India. The
construction of the present temple in Junagadh district began in 1950.
It is the seventh temple built to commemorate the glory of Lord Somnath
who was known as BhAiraveshwar in the Sa(ya
Yug, Shravanikeshwar in
Treta Yug and Shrigaleshwar in
DwaparYug.
According to legend, Soma, the moon God
built the temple in gold, Ravan in silver, Krishna in wood and king
Bhimdev of Anhilwad in stone. Soma constructed the temple as a gesture
after Lord Shiva cured him of his illness. This illness was caused by
his father-in-law Daksha Prajapati's curse. Daksha cursed him to wane as
he was infatuated with Rohini and was neglecting the other 26 wives, all
26 of whom were the daughters of Prajapati. It is said that Brahma
advised him to build the temple in honour of Shiva.
In the first phase of construction the
shikhar portion, the sanctum
sanctorum and the sabha mandap (assembly hall) were built. The nritya
mandap (the dancing hall) was built later. The temple has been
constructed in the Solanki style.
The pinnacle rides to a height of 155
feet. The kalash atop the
shikhar weighs 10 tonnes. The flag-
mast is 37 feet long. These details give an idea of the size of the
temple. In historical times the temple, the third to be precise, was
raged to the ground by Sultan Mohmad of Ghazni. Then Sultans Allauddin
and Mohmad Begda too desecrated it.
After the Maraths took over Gujarat
Rani Ahalyabai of Indore constructed a temple near the old temple and
worship is offered there ever since.
The temple is so situated that there is
no land from here to the South Pole. An arrow indicates the direction.
Dehotsarga also called Balkh Tirth where
Krishna shuffled off his mortal coil is nearby which the pilgrims should
visit. The tirtha stands at the confluence of Hiranya, Saraswati and
Kapila rivers. Vallabhacharya's Baithak is also there at Prabhas Patan.
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