SOMNATH TEMPLE

SOMNATH TEMPLE.

The Somnath Temple located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is the most sacred of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of the God Shiva.

Somnath means "The Protector of Moon God".

The Somnath Temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal", having been destroyed six times and rebuilt six times. Most recently it was rebuilt in November 1947, when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel visited the area for the integration of Junagadh and mooted a plan for restoration.

After Patel's death, the rebuilding continued under K. M. Munshi, another minister of the Government of India

SOMNATH TEMPLE, FRONT VIEW

History

Significance

According to the legends, Soma or the Moon God built the temple in gold, Ravana in silver, and Shri Krishna in wood.

Soma being arrogant about his beauty, was cursed by his father-in-law Daksha to wane.

He then build the Somnath temple at the Prabhas tirth and prayed to Lord Shiva who removed the curse partially. Thus, causing the periodic waning of moon^.

           

Somnath Temple-1957                                                                                                      Somnath temple, 1869.

Timeline

The first temple of Somnath is said to have existed before the beginning of the Common Era.

The second temple, built by the Yadava kings of Vallabhi in Gujarat, replaced the first one on the same site around 649.

In 725 Junayad, the Arab governor of Sind, sent his armies to destroy the second temple.

The Gurjara Pratihara king Nagabhata II constructed the third temple in 815, a large structure of red sandstone.

In 1024 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni who raided the temple from across the Thar Desert.

The temple was rebuilt by the Paramara King Bhoj of Malwa and the Solanki king Bhima of Gujarat between 1026 and 1042.

The wooden structure was replaced by Kumarpal in 1143 who built the temple of stone. The construction completed in 1172.

 In 1296 A.D. the temple was once again destroyed by Sultan Allauddin Khilji's army.

According to Taj-ul-Ma'sir of Hasan Nizami, Raja Karan of Gujarat was defeated and forced to flee, "fifty thousand infidels were dispatched to hell by the sword" and "more than twenty thousand slaves, and cattle beyond all calculation fell into the hands of the victors".

The temple was rebuilt by Mahipala Deva, the Chudasama king of Saurashtra in 1308 A.D. and the Linga was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and 1351 A.D.

In 1375 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Muzaffar Shah I, the Sultan of Gujarat.

In 1451 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Begda, the Sultan of Gujarat.

In 1701 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Aurangzeb built a mosque on the site of the Somnath temple, using some columns from the temple, whose Hindu sculptural motifs remained visible.

Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore rebuilt the temple in 1783 A.D. at a site adjacent to the ruined temple which was already converted to a mosque.

Asaru-L- Bilad

There is an extract from “Wonders of Things Created, and marvels of Things Existing” by Asaru-L- Bilad, a 13th century Arab geographer.

It contained description and long praises of Somnath temple.

Restoration of temple after Independence

Before independence, Prabhas Pattan was part of the princely state of Junagadh.

On the eve of independence the Nawab of Junagadh announced the accession of his state to Muslim-majority Pakistan, despite the state population being 80% Hindu.

The people of Junagadh rose in revolt and set up a parallel government under Samaldas Gandhi.

 Unable to resist the popular pressure, the Nawab escaped to Pakistan.

The government-in-exile or "temporary government" under Samaldas Gandhi formally asked the Government of India to take over.

The Deputy Prime Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel came to Junagadh on November 12, 1947 to direct the stabilization of the state by the Indian Army and at the same time ordered the reconstruction of the Somanath temple

When Sardar Patel, K. M. Munshi and other leaders of the Congress went to Gandhi with the proposal of reconstructing the Somnath temple, Gandhi blessed the move, but suggested that the funds for the construction should be collected from the public and the temple should not be funded by the state.

He expressed that he was proud to associate himself to the project of renovation of the temple But soon both Gandhi and Sardar Patel died and the task of reconstruction of the temple continued under K. M. Munshi, who was the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies in the Nehru Government.

The ruins were pulled down in October 1950 and the mosque present at that site was shifted few miles away.

In May 1951, Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India, invited by K M Munshi, performed the installation ceremony for the temple.

Rajendra Prasad said in his address "The Somnath temple signifies that the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction"

The present temple, which was built by Patel and Munshi, is managed by Shree Somnath Trust.

Architecture

The present temple is built in the Chalukya style of temple architecture.

It is also called as Kailash Mahameru Prasad Style and reflects the skill of the Sompura Salats, Gujarat's master masons.

The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in straight-line between Somnath seashore till Antarctica, such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on the Arrow-Pillar called Baan-Stambh erected on the sea-protection wall at the Somnath Temple.

This Baan-Stambh mentions that it stands at a point on the Indian landmass, which happens to be the first point on land in the north to the south-pole on that particular longitude.

Arrow Pillar or Baan-Stambh    

'Proclamation of the Gates' Incident

In 1842, Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough issued his famous 'Proclamation of the Gates' in which he ordered the British army in Afghanistan to return via Ghazni and bring back to India the sandalwood gates from the tomb of Mahmud of Ghazni in Ghazni, Afghanistan.

These were believed to have been taken by Mahmud from Somnath.

There was a debate in the House of Commons in London in 1843 on the question of the gates of the Somnath temple.

After much cross-fire between the British Government and the opposition, the gates were uprooted and brought back in triumph.

But on arrival, they were found to be of Egyptian workmanship and not associated in any way with India. So they were placed in a store-room in the Agra Fort where they still lie to the present day.

Tomb of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, in 1839-40, showing original Sandalwood Doors at Somnath, which he destroyed in 1024.