Excursions
Somnath Temple is one of the twelve jyotirlingas of lord shiva and is and an important pilgrimage of Hindus and is about 5km from Veraval. it also offers a holy pilgrimage, a beach holiday and a number of places of historic, religious or scenic importance.
The Legend has it that the temple of Somnath was built in 4 phases-in gold by Lord Soma, in silver by Ravi, in wood by lord Krishna and in stone by Bhimadeva .it is said that the temple was so prosperous that it has 300 musicians, 500 dancing girls and 300 barbers to shave the heads of visiting pilgrims.
Historically this temple is important as it set the precedent of muslim rulers destroying hindu temples or buildings. Mahmud of Ghazni, upon hearing the description of the temple by an Arab traveler - Al Biruni, raided the temple in 1024 AD and looted it, carrying away camel loads of jewels and gold.Somnath was destroyed six times and rebuilt on every occasion. After the 1706 AD demolition by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, the temple was rebuilt the seventh time in 1950 AD with the support of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel after independence. The present temple Maha Meru Prasad was recently rebuilt on the exact location of the original shrine in accordance with the ancient plants. The temple has imposing architecture, a 50 meter high shikara tower, intricate carvings, silver doors, a pretty Nandi, the Shivalinga, a number of holy idols and images, and a splendid location facing the Arabian sea. in the temple Aarti is held everyday at 7, 12 and 19 hours. The temple is open from 6-21.30 hrs.
Places in and around Somnath :
- Prabhas Patan Museum
- Somnath Beach
- Bakhla Tirth
- Triveni Tirth
- Surya Mandir
- Ahilya Mandir
- Veraval Beach
The Akshardham Temple of Gandhinagar is dedicated to Lord Swaminarayan. Built in traditional Indian architectural style from pink sandstone, it is very much a modern structure. The temple is set in the multi-acre garden, called Sahajanand van, with sculpture of Hindu Gods, beautifully landscaped garden, cafeteria and amusements.
On the first floor there is a museum which displays the things used by lord Swaminarayan like, a letter to his guru, Ramanand, a piece from an old tree from Chapaya, his home town, his pure wood shawl, recreation of his old home etc. It also has the portraits of the 500 Paramhansas. The galleries outside, have a state-of-the-art exhibition using Chez Integrovision shows, audio-visuals, multi-media, dioramas of the life of lord Swaminarayan and from the Hindu epics, fiber optics etc to introduce readers to the concept of the Akshardham movement, founded in 1907 AD to promote the preaching of Lord Swaminarayan and a number of charitable causes.
It is one of the most beautiful step-wells found in Gujarat . Situated in Adalaj village some 18 kms away from Ahmedabad, the structure derives its name from its patron, Ruda, wife of the Vaghela chief, Virsinh; who built it in 1499. The 'Vav', laid out in the north-south direction, the step well with the well in the north and the entrance in the south, has a total length of 75.3 meters. The carving inside the well depicts intricate motifs of flowers and birds. It was built for the dual purpose of providing water and cool chambers in the hot summer days. One can easily get there by bus plying between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.
Junagadh Upperkot Fort and Buddhist caves
Junagadh lies at the foot of Girnar Hill and derives its name from the Old Fort that circles the town. The Upperkot fort is believed to be built by Yadavs. In the earlier times it was famous for its virtual inaccessibility. It has walls which at times go up to 20 meters high. The fort has many interesting exhibits like two placed on the western wall and believed to have been cast in Egypt . In and around the fort one can find Buddhist caves belonging to the 200 B.C. to 200 A.D era. These caves are two storied and according to a Chinese writer, during the Maury Dynasty, 300 monks took refuge here during the monsoon season. These are worth visit and are of continued interests to the devout. The Splendid fort at Junagadh fascinates visitors from near and far.
