<< Our Photo Pages >> Somnath Jyotirlinga temple - Ancient Temple in India
Submitted by motist on Sunday, 25 July 2010 Page Views: 8214
Multi-periodSite Name: Somnath Jyotirlinga templeCountry: India
NOTE: This site is 54.004 km away from the location you searched for.
Type: Ancient Temple
Nearest Town: Veraval Nearest Village: Somnath
Latitude: 20.887978N Longitude: 70.401255E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Ancient Temple in India. Somnath - this temple town has a long and chequered History. Even though it is referred to by several other names, names it acquired in the various phases of history, the name Somnath is unrivalled as far as popularity is concerned. And understandably so because this small town would have faded to oblivion but for the presence of the magnificent Somnath Temple from which it receives its best known name.
Deo Pattan, Prabhas Pattan, Pattan Somnath (some of the other names of this sea side town in Gujarat, India) would have all been erased from public memory. But instead of that this place has made a distinctive place for itself primarily because of this brilliant structure. The History of Somnath (as in referring to the city) is so completely dominated by the History of Somnath Temple that it would not be exaggeration in the least to say that they are synonymous.
Not much is known about the early History of Somnath. However it is popularly believed that the first temple existed even before the commencement of the Christian era. The second was built in the period 480-767 A.D. by the Vallabhi kings. This was again replaced by the Pratihara king Nagabhattta II in 815 A.D.
The Somnath temple which enshrines one of the twelve Jyotirlingas was so highly revered that people from various nook and corners of the country came to offer their prayers here.
As many as 2000 Brahmin priests were engaged in temple activities and the revenue collected from ten thousand villages were used for its maintenance. Prayers were announced by ringing the bell which was attached to a golden chain. Its walls were nothing less than pages of History. The exquisite sculptures were a reflection of the times and the pillars even had the names of the sculptors carved on them.
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