Trip To One Of The Oldest Temples Of Shiva
Somnath temple
After a long and hectic month of March, finally, my family and I are going on a trip.
But where we are going is Holy plus and a great place to spend some time as it’s near the Sea.
I am on a train typing on a phone(I couldn’t complete it and now I am finishing it after I came back from a Trip), and I feel so bad about being inconsistent but I will try as things are more normal now. The sunrise from a train is scenic too.
We reach our destination early morning at Veraval Station nearest to the temple. It was crowded, I think because of the summer of kids, so parents are more free to take them to holy places.
Somnath temple is one of the oldest temples of Shiva. It’s said to have existed even before 2000 years ago. It was correctly constructed the second time in 649 AD but was attacked and destroyed in 725 AD.
The history of Somnath is mesmerizing and horrific as it was rebuilt by the local Hindus and destroyed by the invaders over and over again.
Mughal Invader Mahmud Ghazni alone destroyed the temple 17 times. When he came first time with thousands of elephants and forces. He lotted many hundred tons of gold and carried away on elephants and left.
Later it was built by different kings and destroyed again. As It was destroyed, Ahilya Bai who was a queen from a neighboring state built a different temple just near the Somnath. You can see her statue in the photo.
It felt surreal to see the inside of the temple, as it was inside a cave-like shape, maybe they built it in a hideout, but it felt like I was in that time.
For the main temple, nothing is allowed. No phones, no purse, no bag, no camera, Nothing but YOU.
I was annoyed at first because the temple is sooooo hypnotic, a beautiful piece of art near the Arabian Ocean. But without any gadgets, I actually feel really light, with no extra baggage to carry, not to worry about constantly taking photos, and instead of looking at the history in front, looking at the photos. I feel so privileged to be in a place like that. Later this temple was built after India’s independence in 1951.
At night, there is a light show, which they project on the temple and shows the history of Somnath, It happens every day from 8 to 9 PM. It was beyond any of my expectations, The music, the sound, the visuals everything was PERFECT. Obviously, I couldn’t capture it but it was good that I couldn't, you have to go and see it yourself to really experience it.
Next Day We Went To Dwarka, A City Where Lord Krishna Was A King!
Next Story For Dwarka Soon!
