Somnath Temple

Chandra, the Moon God, was married to all twenty-seven daughters of the celestial sage Daksha. But Chandra was hopelessly in love with only one wife — Rohini — and ignored the other twenty-six completely. The neglected daughters complained bitterly to their father.

Furious at this injustice, Daksha cursed Chandra: "Your beauty, your light, your very radiance shall fade away until you are nothing!" True to the curse, the moon began to dim. Darkness crept across the night sky. Without moonlight, herbs lost their medicinal properties, the tides went still, and a deep melancholy settled over all creation.

Desperate, Chandra sought counsel from Lord Brahma, who told him that only Lord Shiva could partially reverse such a powerful curse. Chandra came to the shores of Prabhas Patan in Gujarat, built a golden lingam on the beach, and performed severe penance for millions of years, chanting the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra without pause.

Pleased by his devotion, Shiva appeared and partially lifted the curse — the moon would wax and wane in a cycle, never permanently dark, never permanently bright. This is why the moon grows full and then fades every month. The spot where Chandra regained his light became "Somnath" — literally the "Lord of the Moon." The temple has been destroyed by invaders no fewer than seventeen times throughout history — by Mahmud of Ghazni, Alauddin Khalji, and many others — and rebuilt each time, making it the ultimate symbol of Hindu resilience and indomitable faith. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel vowed to rebuild it one last time, and the current magnificent structure was inaugurated in 1951.

Destroyed and rebuilt at least seventeen times. The present temple was reconstructed in 1951 under the initiative of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and K.M. Munshi.

Maha Shivaratri and Kartik Purnima are celebrated with great fervor. A spectacular sound and light show narrates the temple's tumultuous history every evening.

Chalukya style (Kailash Mahameru Prasada) architecture featuring a soaring shikhara, overlooking the Arabian Sea. The flag pole stands 37 feet tall.