Somnath, in
Gujarat, is often identified as a religious place rather than a town. Its development confines to a few streets and a bus stand, but the town still stands out in its religious and historical appeal. Somnath is 80 km south of
Junagadh.
Formerly known as ‘Prabhas Patan’, Somnath is home to one of the twelve most sacred Shiva shrines in India. The
Somnath Temple is a major place of worship, which is visited by pilgrims from all over the country.
Other places worth seeing are the Junagadh Gate, Somnath Beach, Somnath museum, Bhalka Theertha,
Jama Masjid, Bhidiyo Pagoda, Ahilyabai Temple and Mai Puri (originally a Sun temple but converted into a mosque by Mahmud of Ghazni).
Chorwad Beach (26 km),
Gir National Park (43 km) and the port of Veraval constitute interesting excursions outside Somnath.
A large fair held on the full moon of Kartik Purnima in November/December is a major draw.
Nearest airport is at
Keshod (55 km). Veraval (7 km) is the closest railway station which has trains to Ahmedabad and Rajkot. By road, Somnath is linked with Mumbai (889 km), Ahmedabad (400 km),
Bhavnagar (266 km), Junagadh (85 km) and
Porbandar (122 km).
