Standing tall on the shores of Gujarat in the Western part of India, the Somnath Temple is more than just a place of worship; it is a symbol of resilience, faith, and spirituality.

Through centuries of invasions, plunder, and destruction, this sacred shrine has been rebuilt time and again, from its ancient origins in Hindu mythology to its modern reconstruction under independent India.

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The pilgrimage site, is the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva, is well connected with Air, Rail and roadways. The Nearest Airports include Keshod Airport, Diu Airport and Rajkot International Airport while the nearest train stations are Veraval and Rajkot.

Managed by Shri Somnath Trust with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its Chairman, the temple along with upholding the Sanatan practices also follows the mantra of sustainability development and empowering the local population.

To uphold the Sanatan dharma, the temple runs a Sanskriti pathshala wherein the students are enrolled in grade ninth till 12 who are taught about the religion, language, culture and also with technology.

Moreover, the trust also runs two gaushalas wherein they work in preserving the Gir breed of the cows. During this, they follow sattvik practices in which the calf’s right over the milk is prioritized and the rest milk is used for the religious practices.

In the modern world of technology, the trust has also inducted digital pilgrimage where the devotees can have live darshan of the lrd shiva, can book pooja and get a door-step delivery of Prasad.

Additionally, the trust provides employment to tribal women who weave fabric into clothes for the religious practices and are then converted into the kurtas which are distributed to the devotees.

The trust also follows the mantra of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole world is one family) that PM Modi has emphasized upon, providing live darshan to devotees who are based abroad in 21 countries including USA, UK and Canada among others.

Inspired by PM Modi’s vision of sustainable development, the trust has undertaken many eco-friendly endeavors such as distributing saplings to the farmers as blessings from the lord that empowered over two lakh families especially the tribal population.

One of the highlights in this initiative is the nine layer filtration process of the sacred offerings. So far, Rs 2.5 crore has been invested by the trust for waste management and Rs 16.36 crore liters of water has been treated by the eight plants for agricultural usage.

The roots of the modern day temple goes back after India got Independence and it was completed under the orders of the first Home Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

The site of Somnath has been a pilgrimage site from ancient times on account of being a Triveni Sangam (the confluence of three rivers: Kapila, Hiran and Saraswati). Soma, the Moon god, is believed to have lost his lustre due to a curse, and he bathed in the Saraswati River at this site to regain it.

The temple was destroyed by invaders many times notably in 1026 by Mahmud of Ghazni, in 1299 by Ulugh Khan, 1395 by Muzaffar Shah I and the recent was in 1706 by Aurangzeb, however every time it has emerged in a grand avatar.