Somnath Temple
Somnath Temple
One of the 12 Jyotirlingas is Somnath. The temple is located on the coast in Gujarat's Kathiawar area. Previously, this area was known as Prabhas Kshetra.The Mahabharata, Srimad Bhagavat, and Skanda Purana all detail the splendour of Somnath-Jyotirlinga, which is located in the sacred Prabhas area. He underwent penance here, thinking Shiva to be his ruler, as one of the moon's names is "Som". As a result, this Jyotirlinga is known as Somnath.
Somnath is linked to the liberation of Chandra (Moon God) from the curse of his father-in-law Daksha Prajapati in ancient Indian mythology. Moon was married to Daksha's twenty-seven daughters. He, on the other hand, favoured Rohini and ignored the other queens. Moon was cursed by the enraged Daksha, and its brightness was taken away. Moon came at the Prabhas Teertha on the instructions of Prajapita Brahma and worshipped Bhagvan Shiva. Moon was blessed and freed from the curse of darkness by Bhagvan Shiva, who was pleased with his great penance and devotion. Moon is supposed to have created a golden temple, followed by Ravana's silver temple, and finally Bhagvan Shree Krishna building Somnath temple out of Sandalwood.
The first Somnath Jyotirlinga Pran-Pratistha was held on the fortunate third day of the brighter half of Shravan month during the tenth Treta yug of Vaivswat Manvantar, according to research based on ancient Indian classical literature. In accordance to Swami Shri Gajananand Saraswatiji, the Chairman of Shrimad Aadhya Jagadguru Shankaracharya Vedic Shodh Sansthan, Varanasi, very first temple was erected 7,99,25,105 years ago, based on Prabhas Khand of Skand Puran traditions. From the beginning of time, this temple has served as a source of inspiration for millions of Hindus.
The blessings of Bhagvan Somnath are supposed to have freed the Moon God from the curse of his father-in-law Daksha Prajapati. I am constantly present everywhere, but especially in 12 forms and places like the Jyotirlingas, Shiva declared in the Shiva Purana and Nandi Upapurana. One of these 12 sacred sites is Somnath. The first of the twelve sacred Shiva Jyotirlings is this one.
Several desecrations by Muslim conquerors between the eleventh and eighteenth centuries A.D. are recorded in later records of history. Every time the temple was restored, the people's reconstruction spirit was there. Sardar Patel, who saw the ruins of Somnath temple on November 13, 1947, was determined to rebuild the contemporary temple. On May 11, 1951, the then-President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, performed the Pran-Pratistha at the current temple.