Day 218 of Indian places giving smiles -The miraculous temple of Somnath

My first visit to Somnath was in 2008 when I had gone to Gujarat on work. I was told that it was one of the very auspicious places where Shiva appeared as a ray of light called Jyothirlinga. We were very lucky to be in time to witness the evening aarati, listen to the sound of the waves, to enjoy the beauty of the setting sun, to see the illumination of the temple in the evening and to purchase the interesting items from the many vendors outside the temple at night.

Four years later, I visited the place again with the family. This time there was a very long line to enter the temple and a very strict security check. My husband was even asked to walk back to the locker room to take off leather belt!

All this effort of entry was really worth it, because once we entered the temple complex we were really mesmerized by the beauty of the construction. We wondered what this spot must have witnessed across many years, as this particular temple was destroyed by invaders and rebuilt again, not once or twice but sixteen times over the many centuries! The present structure that reflects the skill of the local artisans was rebuilt around the time of Indian independence under the initiative of Sardar Vallabhai Patel whose statue we had seen outside the temple.

Som means moon in Hindi and this temple is also dedicated to the moon God who is supposed to have built the original golden temple at this site, followed by a silver temple by Ravana and a Sandalwood temple by Krishna. There was some kind of restoration work going on and we saw two pillars being covered in gold and two pillars in silver colour, probably in tribute to the earlier splendor of the temple.

Once inside we were amazed to see a large Shiva linga that seemed to radiate a spiritual power that filled the place. Inspite of the crowds, we could find a serene spot to just sit with closed eyes and absorb the positive energy of the place.

As we walked around the temple complex, we could also see the ruins of the earlier temples that were ruthlessly attacked by invaders. Of particular interest to me was the Parvati temple ruins. As I climbed up the steps of the base structure, I could almost imagine how over the years people must have gathered here to pray to the Goddess. And now I had the chance to actually stand in the same spot where the earlier idol was placed. I stood at the place, closed my eyes and truly felt like a Goddess myself, waiting to bless the many people around me with success and happiness!

We also visited another place of attraction, where the story of each of the Jyothirlingas was depicted by the different statues. However it saddened me to see the names of the sponsors of construction also given free publicity inside the temple. Why should people want their names to be displayed in memory inside a holy place, where the only remembrance should be that of the name of the Lord?

Another attraction of the Somnath temple was the Baan Stambh or the arrow pillar with an ancient inscription in Sanskrit that there is no land mass from here to the Antartica near the south pole. Imagine how learned our ancestors were to know about this as a fact without the use of any of the modern scientific equipment.

We walked around the well maintained gardens of the place and ogled at the free spirit of the flag fluttering gaily at the top of the main dome of the temple. As we walked around the periphery walls, our senses were calmed by the sound of the waves of the sea around the temple. A truly memorable experience!

So which Indian place made you smile today?

Please share your experience of Indian places that make you smile.