Somnath Temple

The Somnath Temple on the coast of Saurashtra is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva and one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in Hinduism. The current temple — the seventh reconstruction — was built from 1951 to 1995 after India's independence under the initiative of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

The original Somnath temple was one of the wealthiest in ancient India and was repeatedly sacked — famously by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1025 CE. The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, each time restored by devoted Hindu rulers.

The present structure follows the Maru-Gurjara style. The temple sits on the Triveni Sangam where three rivers meet the Arabian Sea. A unique Baan Stambha (Arrow Pillar) is inscribed: 'There is no land between this point and Antarctica.'