About Place: The intricately carved honey-coloured Somnath temple on the western edge of the state is believed to be the place where the first of the twelve holy jyotirlingas emerged in India – a spot where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. The temples lies at the meeting of Kapila, Hiran and Sarasvati rivers and the waves of the Arabian Sea ebb and flow touching the shore on which it is constructed. The ancient temple’s timeline can be traced from 649 BC but is believed to be older than that. The present form was reconstructed in 1951. Colourful dioramas of the Shiva story line the north side of the temple garden, though it’s hard to see them through the hazy glass. A one-hour sound-and-light show in Amitabh Bachchan’s baritone highlights the temple nightly at 7.45pm.

Brief History: It is said that Somraj (the moon god) first built a temple in Somnath, made of gold; this was later rebuilt by Ravana in silver, by Krishna in wood, and by Bhimdev in stone. The current serene, symmetrical structure was built to traditional designs on the original coastal site: it’s painted a creamy colour and boasts fine sculpture. At its heart is a large, black Shiva lingam—one of the 12 most sacred Shiva shrines, known as the jyotirlingas.