I had gone for a religious trip to Somnath, and our aim was too just visit the temple and come back. But to my surprise it has a very pretty beach, that too very clean, not like Mumbai beaches. There are lot of stalls nearby the beach,where you can have fresh nariyal pani only for Rs 10. So rather than it being religious trip it became a fun trip too.On the way Girnar parbat is there her beauty will definetly attract you ,Also we encountered very beautiful scenary like many wooden boats,fishing zone,lots of palm tree. It seemed that it wasnt like usual tourist beaches.
Now let me tell you about the auspicious temple”SOMNATH”.It is One of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, the legendary Somnath temple is popular for being one of the most beautiful temples in India.The temple is visited by huge number of devotees as well as tourists every year. It is Built in Chalukya style of architecture, this temple has gold and gemstone ornamented in its intricate carvings. Due to this, it has also been ransacked a number of times by Islamic invaders, nevertheless, keeping its glory intact.
Somnath temple is also known as Somnath Pattan, Deo Pattan, and Prabhas Pattan. It is believed the Moon God built this temple in gold to appease Lord Shiva, which was rebuilt in silver by demon King Ravana, by Lord Krisna in wood and finally in stone by King Bhimdev. The temple that is seen today was erected in 1950 by Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel. One can visit it from 06:00 AM to 09:30 PM.The temple is situated on the coast. Once inside the temple complex one can experience absolute peace and tranquility. There are no pujari or pandit chasing you for puja or dakshina…the darshan can be easily done without facing any hastle. A nice and clean temple complex where one can sit for long time enjoying the sound of sea and watching the huge LED display beaming live images of shivling.
And if you are lucky enough to visit this temple in evening time then with golden view of temple, you can also have the chance to see the lively gold of our earth The Sun(Sunset like Melting Sun in the arm of ocean).As the sun moved slowly towards the horizon, we walked along the path leading the beach, where children played happily in the water while I clicked the sun.I cant clicked the beauty of temple as electronic gadgets and leather stuff are not allowed to get into the temple but no to worry. There are many electronic (paid) and normal lockers (unpaid) to keep cameras, mobiles and other stuff outside the temple which are very well managed.
The beauty of temple enriches because it enjoys a wonderful seaside location. And its so mesmerizing that the view will always cherished in your memory. I visited many temples in my life but here the most innovative and attractive thing was “The light and sound Show” with different color of lights, music and you get to know the history of the temple in the majestic voice of Amitabh Bachhan. The state-of-the-art light and sound show has been designed to illustrate the history and historical culture of the temple. Tourist visiting Somnath can get detailed information about the temple from the show.The show is equipped with 3D projector, mapping, light designing and programming. The show, with special effects, will run for 35 minutes and trust me while seeing the
tandav scene and shiva 3D images you will have goose bumps. YOU MUST NOT MISS LIGHT SHOW. It is a wow experience. Tickets for adult is Rs. 25 and for Children above 3 years it is Rs. 15.
Every day, at regular times, the auspicious sounds of the cymbals, bells and the voices of the devotees waft out over the scented air from the temple out to the ocean. The turbulent ocean – omniscient, yet silent continues to witness the daily rituals for thousands of years. As the constant devotee of Shiva, he salutes the lord of the moon – Somnath –and continues to create his own Anahata Naada, or heavenly music, in eternal praise of the all-powerful Shiva!
(The show ends with the resonant rhythm of the waves, receding in the distance with an overlay of nostalgic music.)
Not only this, you can enjoy camel ride and photography at the sea shore of Somnath Temple, where Vendors can be seen selling coconuts, peanuts and many other eatables items at reasonable prize.
It was not planned trip so in rush we didn’t get the Diu ticket which is the nearest airport from Somnath,for us second option was to reach Ahmedabad from Delhi and going Somnath from here.It will take almost full day to reach Somnath driving in a daytime. So I booked early morning flight and then took a bus to Somnath which took 8 hours to reach there but after reaching there the sea view with temple vanish all tiredness. And if you have some time you can also cover Junagadh on the way. It has a big and famous Sakkarbaug zoo and Girnar Temple etc.
A visit to Somnath can be worth it.
Love and Peace…
Preety:)
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