The journey of the 12 Jyotirlinga begins from Somnath. The Shivshakti circumambulation or Parikrama path is completed after visiting all the 12 Jyotirlingas and Shakti Peethas. The first of the Jyotirlinga, Somnath Jyotirlinga is located in the port of Verabal in the Saurashtra region of the Indian state of Gujarat.

The Glory and beliefs of Somnath

Firstly, there are a number of legends over time that have been linked to Somnath Jyotirlinga. It is believed to have been established by the moon itself. There is a legend that the moon worshiped God Shiva to get rid of a curse imposed on her by Daksha Prajapati, an agent of creation. The moon is also called ‘Soma’ and that is where the name of this Jyotirlinga comes from. History says, the magnificent Somnath temple has witnessed numerous external attacks and looting of precious metal gems and other properties. The Shivalinga had also sustained damages during the external attack. The Somnath Temple has been demolished and rebuilt number of times and the present form was built after India's independence.

Somnath is also famous for ‘pitru shraddha’ an obsequial ceremony marking the death anniversaries of ancestors and the ‘Narayanbali puja’ which is performed to appease God Narayan for any unnatural death or ‘pitru dosh’ which is a birth defect or a defect that occurs later in one’s life. The Pitru Shraddha is said to have special significance here in the months of Chaitra, Bhadra and Kartik, which sees thousands of devotees flock the temple. A special fair is also held on the Mahashivaratri day. There is a confluence of Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati rivers and bathing in this Triveni is taken with special importance.

There is also a  legend which believes that  God Krishna breathed his last here, and, there is a temple dedicated to the him. There are also temples of a number of Goddesses, Ganesh, Bhairav ​​and other deities in Somnath.

How to reach Somnath?

You can visit Somnath by bus, train or air. The Somnath Temple is located at a distance of about 420 km from Ahmedabad. Somnath can be reached by bus from Ahmedabad. India's state transport bus service is available to Somnath from various major cities. You can also visit Somnath by rail. Railway services from nearby cities for Somnath Railway Station are Ahmedabad-Somnath Intercity Express, Rajkot-Somnath Passenger, Porbandar-Somnath Passenger and Okha-Somnath Express. As there are no airports near Somnath temple, one can fly from Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Porbandar and Diu airports in some distant cities and from there bus services to Somnath temple are easily available.

When to visit Somnath?

When visiting Somnath, it is important to get prior information about the weather as it is on the shores of the Arabian Sea and storms and cyclones are expected to often affect the weather. The weather in Somnath is very hot in summer and warm in winter.

During the monsoon season, rain is accompanied by strong winds. The best time to visit Somnath is between the months of Asoj and Chaitra (Sept-April).