A visit to Dwarka, Beth Dwarka, Nageshwar Jyotirlinga(m)  

 & Somnath in Gujarat (Part – 2):

        I was awaken by a thud, it was 03:30 AM & assumed that we had reached Somnath. The bus stopped somewhere near the temple as per the Bus conductor. It was pitch dark & we started walking alongwith some other pilgrims. We had walked about 200 m from the main road & came to one “Lilavati Guest House, a new building. The person at the reception was polite & I was surprised to see that the staff (3 persons) were all awake at that hour, which is generally not seen in any Govt operated guest house. I showed my ID at the reception was allotted a non-AC room, (Charges ` 450/-) as AC room was not available. The charges at this guest house are reasonable.

This 73-room facility ‘Lilavati guest house’ has been opened very recently on 16^th March, 2010. The guest house facility has been constructed through donation of Keshubhai Patel’s son Bharat Patel. The guest house has been named after Keshubhai Patel’s late wife Lilavatiben who died in an accident in Gandhinagar several years back.

LILAVATI ATITHI BHAVAN ROOMS
Sr. No.	Bed	Type	`	Advance `
1	2	Non A/c.	450/-	900/-
2	2	A/c.	750/-	1500/-
3	2	A/c. SUIT	1700/-	3400/-
4	4	A/c.	1500/-	3000/-
VIP GUESTHOUSE ROOMS
Sr. No.	Bed	Type	`	Advance `
1	2	A/c.	1200/-	1500/-
2	2	A/c. SUIT	1500/-	2000/-
GUESTHOUSE ROOMS
Sr. No.	Bed	Type	`	Advance `
1	2	Non A/c.	250/-	550/-
2	2	Delux N. A/C	400/-	900/-
3	2	A/c.	600/-	1000/-
DHARMASHALA
Sr. No.	Room	Capacity	`	Advance `
1	1	10 Person	200/-	450/-
2	1	20 Person	400/-	900/-
SANSKRITIK BHAVAN
Sr. No.	HALL	Capacity	`	Advance `
1	1	20 Person	400/-	900/-
2	1	35 Person	700/-	1500/-

* NOTE : Cradle & Extra Bed Facility Available in all Guest House

# Contact address for Booking: 
Shree Somnath Trust, 
Somnath Prabhas Patan - 362 268
District : Junagadh, Gujarat.
Ph. No. : +91-2876-231212

The Somnath Jyotirlinga :

The Somnath temple is dedicated to Lord Someshwara, another name of Lord Shiva with moon on his head. The temple is situated in Saurashtra region of Gujarat State. It is believed that Somraj, the Moon God himself had originally built the temple out of gold. It is said that the first temple was built by Moon God in gold, followed by Ravana in silver, Lord Krishna in Sandalwood and King Bhimdev in Stone. The Somnath temple has a magnificent sprawling complex and is a great pilgrim site for the Hindus. The present temple is built in Chalukya style and has been constructed in such a manner that there is no land between the temple shore and the South Pole. The summit of the temple rises to a height of 155 feet. There is a Kalash (pot vessel) on the top, which measures 10 tons. The flag mast on the peak is 37 feet long and is changed three times during the day. The construction of the present Somnath temple started in 1950. The jyotirlingam pratishthapan ceremony was done by the first president of India, Dr, Rajendra Prasad. All these facts reveal the majesty of the temple and its importance for the devotees.

Somnath is the first of all the 12 jyotirlingas. Though the temple is of Hindu origin, the Architecture has Jain influences. The Somnath temple has been destroyed six times and have been rebuilt. The temple faces the east direction. Externally the Somnath temple resembles the Rudramala temple at Siddhapur. The dome of the temple is the biggest ever made in this century. The temple has large central hall with entrances on three sides, each protected by a lofty porch. The temple carvings and the sculptures speak about the great artistic endeavor made by the craftsmen of that era. At a certain interval in the balconied corridor is a deformed Nataraja statue. 

Somnath is also known by different names like- Deo pattan, Prabhas Pattan or Pattan Somnath. It is believed that 2000 priests served the idol of the temple. The Somnath temple has a long history attached to it. The most interesting fact about the Somanth temple is that it has been built and destroyed six times. The present structure was rebuilt the seventh time. The first temple of Somnath is believed to have existed before the christian era. The second temple was built by the Maitraka Kings of Vallabhi in Gujarat. The Pratihara King- Nagabhata II constructed the third temple. The fourth temple was built by the Paramara King Bhoj of Malwa and the Solanki King. Kumarpal built the fifth temple and was again destroyed by Mughal emperor Aurangazeb. The present temple is the seventh temple and has been rebuilt and taken care by Shree Somnath trust.

Legend

Skanda Purana, in the chapter on Prabhasa Khanda, describes the emergence of this Jyotirlinga. Legend goes that the moon was married to the 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati. Amongst all his wives, he had special love towards Rohini and neglected the others. Seeing the negligence of Chandra towards his other wives Prajapati Daksha cursed Chandra that he would lose his beauty and radiance. But because of a moon devoid of radiance and beauty the entire world became lifeless. A disturbed Chandra, came down to Prabhas with Rohini and worshipped the Sparsa Linga of Somnath after which he was blessed by Shiva to grow and shine in the bright half. As the moon regained his light here, this town came to be known as Prabhasa. Brahma, one of the trinity, installed the Brahmashila, and paved way for the construction of the temple. On the request of the Chandra and other gods Bhagwan Shankar assumed the name Somchandra (Jyotirlinga) and resided here eternally. He became famous by the name Somnath in the three worlds. Since, it was the Prabhas Kshetra where Bhagwan Shri Krishna performed all his ‘lilas’. In this temple there is a small cave in which a lamp burns continuously. The Skanda Purana describes the Sparsa Linga of Somnath as one bright as the sun, the size of an egg, lodged underground. The Mahabharata also refers to the Prabhasa Kshetra and the legend of the moon worshipping Shiva.

Places of Interest near Somnath:

Prabhas Patan (Bhalka Tirtha) -  "Bhalka" is the name of the village, and "Tirtha" indicates that it is a holy place. After the destruction of the Yadu and Bhoja dynasties in Dwarka, Lord Krishna left his palaces and came to this area called Prabhasaksetra. Uddhava accompanied him. Bhagvan Shree Krishna was resting in meditation pose under a pippal tree when the poacher misread the foot of Bhagvan Shree Krishna as a deer and hit from a distance. Shree Krishna generously pardoned the poacher and blessed him. This divined leela of Bhagvan Shree Krishna is immortalised by a beautiful temple and an ancient pipal tree. There is a temple built by the tree that is said to be the same tree under which Krishna was sitting. On the altar there is a white Deity of Krishna in a sitting posture. One can see the bottom of Krishna’s foot, pink colored with different auspicious symbols. Nearby is the hunter, Jara, with folded hands and one knee on the floor. This place is 5 kms east of Veraval on the road to Somnath.

Gita Mandir -  is located at the confluence of three rivers, or Triveni Tirtha, about 1km south of the Somnath Temple by the sea. It is said that Lord Krishna walked about 4km from Bhalka Tirtha to this place after he was shot in the foot by the hunter, and left the planet at this point. Bhagvan Shree Krishna walked a small distance and arrived at the holy banks of river Hiran from where he took his last journey to his Neejdham. There are a few other temples here and the place where Lord Balarama is said to have left the planet.

The guest house was very neat & clean. We were soon asleep after that horrible bus journey. We woke up at 07:30AM & had a quick shower, thinking that we are already late for darshan. The temple opens at 06:00 AM. We walked 200 m upto the temple on the sea shore. The big space outside temple was clean and concreted. A statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel was facing the temple. There were flocks of pigeons fed by tourists and devotees. Deposited camera & mobile in the cloak room which is free of charge. Being Monday, we thought the queue would be long, but there was no queue for ‘darshan’ & we had darshan in just 5 minutes.  In Somnath temple, you are not allowed to visit inside. There is a hi-tech arrangement for Abhishek. We need to pour water in small vessel in from of main door and this water will go and fall on Shiva Ling.

  

We can see the old remains of the earlier temple. Nearby in the same compound is the temple built by Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar. Sea garden is nearby with children’s park.

Sangam is located at the confluence of Kapila, Hiranya and vanished Saraswati rivers. At the entrance we bought some biscuits meant for fish. When we threw them in the water it was fun to see shoals of fishes rushing to grab them.

After Sangam we went straight to chowpatty – the sea beach abutting the Somnath temple. The beach was very lively. There were hordes of tourists sipping coconut water, eating chaats, and taking camel & horse rides.

Timing for Darshan at Somnath Temple : 6.00am to 9.00pm

Timing for Aarti : 7.00 am, 12.00 Noon and 7.00 pm

“Jay Somnath” Sound and Light Show : 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm

Somnath temple trust dining hall is recommended for Lunch and Dinner. It cost only ` 25/- for unlimited food. Dining hall is clean & hygiene.

For Dwarka bus, contact only Krishna Travels, opposite to Temple trust office. They run two buses every day. One is at 8:00 AM & another is at 2:00 PM. They charge you ` 150/- per head.

Outside the compound is the ‘Somnath Chowpathi’, which gives a splendid view of the Arabian Sea. Children as well as elderly people were enjoying the camel ride. Number of instant photographers will ask you for an instant photo. Bought a Somnath CD for  ` 20/- & took some snaps. Returned to the hotel & packed up. The auto rickshaw charged ` 5/- for Somnath Railway station & ` 7/- for Veraval. We opted for Veraval which is the next station after originating station. Somnath station is at 3 Kms whereas veraval station is 7 Kms from the Lilavati Guest house. The guest house boy suggested we better go to Veraval to catch the train. On the way we visited the temple called Bhalka tirth, where it is believed that Shri Krishna was hit by arrow. About 5010 years back, Shri Krishna left his body and took his journey to his Neejdham.

The Somnath –Jabalpur Express departs from Somnath at 09:40 AM & from Veraval at 09:55 AM. We got to our seats , the train was vacant & departed at 10:00 AM. The train passed Junagarh at 12:00 noon, arrived at Rajkot at 02:00 PM via Keshod, Jetalsar Junction, Gondal enroute.

Rajkot :

Had tea outside the Rly station & came to know that kitchen & cutlery itema are available at Dharmendra Road. Further there are bazaars at Rajshri Talkies.

Other notable places in Rajkot are :

1.    Jubilee Garden

2.    Race Course Road

3.    Language library

4.    Dolls Museum

Our train Saurashtra Mail was scheduled at 17:45 Hrs, so we reached Railway station at 04:30 PM. The train arrived half an hour late (as usual) at 05:15 PM, but we could not find our Coach No S10 as the train consisted of only 8 coaches. Most of the passengers were confused & one man opened his briefcase twice to check his coach number. Then after about 5 minutes came the announcement (Indian Railways is a bit late) that coaches S6 to S11 & one AC coach will be attached at the rear of the train. There was a sigh of relief on the face of the passengers who had confirmed reservations & were anxious to board the train. Alas! Indian Railways, hope better days in the future. Don’t know why Railways add up such train formations rather than the train can be formed entirely at originating station itself or make the announcement early to make the travel comfortable, than causing inconvenience & tension among the passengers.

We departed from RJT at 06:00 PM. Breathed a sigh of relief that we will be reaching home in 2 nights. At one time we even thought of catching the Udayan Express at Kalyan & reach Solapur around 04:00 PM and from there catch any bus to Hyderabad, as we started feeling home sick because of the variants in food we had taken in the past few days.

There was a family of seven with a 6 months baby in our compartment. There reservation was not confirmed with 6 RAC tickets & were sitting on the berth in front of us which was vacant. All of them were very fond of eating, even the month’s baby. I recalled the famous saying of Socrates (Greek philosopher in Athens), “Some people eat to live, whereas some live to eat”, these people are of the second category. Their eating ‘silsila’ started at 06:00 Pm & ended around 11:30 PM. The mother purchased ½ kg of ‘Peda’ for ` 100/- & started eating ‘Pedas’. She offered some ‘pedas’ to her 2 daughters and son. Then came chips, sandwiches, masala chana , …………so on.

At Wankaner, one Gujarati occupied the window seat. He had a lot of packed food. The mother then repeatedly told to her son-in-law Salim to arrange for some food as there was very little ‘Kheema’ leftover with them & was only sufficient for one person. The train halted at a small station, they had some ‘vada-pav’. The son-in-law & his mother (probably) were sitting in the next compartment did not take anything. The small baby started crying as it was also hungry. The mother would every now & then lift the food basket, open the steel box & showing to Salim will say “There is very little ‘Kheema’ left”, how can we manage with it, please order food (non-veg only). The Gujarati took 2 cups of tea & we wondered whether one man can drink 2 cups of “Railway IRCTC special chai” simultaneously. He will take some ‘Gathiya’ (a sort of besan preparation) from a big polythene cover & dip the ‘Gathiya’ in the ‘chai’ & eat. He also had one dry ‘chapati’ & will sip the ‘chai’ and he finished off his dinner.

We had already decided not to take anything for dinner & were enjoying our journey. The Gujarati who was watching all this for quite a long time, who could not resist the lady insisting for food, took about 2 kgs of ‘Gathiya’ from the polythene bag & offered to the family. The mother took 2 big paper plates of ‘Gathiya’ & offered it her son and 2 daughters. They will not leave anything , and by now have taken pedas, biscuits,etc & shared a bottle of flavoued milk.

Now the mother told her daughters to ring up some Faruk @ Ahmedavad (guess he is Salim’s friend/relative) & tell him that they have left over with very little ‘Kheema’. The 2^nd daughter who seemed very naughty ringed up Mr. Faruk & said,” Nilu wants some food”. Nilu snatches the mobile & says,” I don’t want any food. These people only are insisting for food and we have ordered for one veg meals”. The mother told her 2^nd daughter, ”Maar, usko maar, chappal se maar, mana kar rahi hai , bol biriyani lane ko bol”. The 2^nd daughter started beating her elder sister & Mother also joined with a ‘chappal’ given by 2^nd daughter.

The train halted at Viramgam, and Salim brought some pulav, they all except Salim enjoyed the pulav. The 6’2” tall son, Akbar sat on the top berth & finished off the leftover ‘Kheema’ with some chapatis. At Viramgam Junction, they received a call from Faruk that he is arranging biriyani (4 packets) parcels for them at Amdavad. Their faces cheered up with that call from Faruk & rest assured that they will be enjoying biriyani in an hour. Kumar & myself ate 2 bananas each. After a long wait the train at last reached ADI (at about 10:30 PM) and Faruk appeared with 2 small packets of biriyani. On seeing the packets, the faces of Mother & younger daughter faded off as the food was very less than their expectations. The Mother & children started with the biriyani & told Nilu “Bacha hua aapka family khalo”. Nilu was in a rage as a small quantity was left for her husband & mother-in-law, and started quarrelling with her mother.

By this time I was fast asleep to be woken up by the Ticket checker who came after 6 hrs to check the tickets. Once again dozed off to sleep to be woken up by Kumar at Mahim Junction (6:30 AM). Got down the train & kept our luggage in the cloak room at Dadar Central. Went to Veermata Jijabai Udyan, Masjid, VT, etc & back to Dadar for lunch at “Sundar’s Mahabhoj”, my favourite restaurant in Matunga east. We boarded the 7031 Hyderabad express at 01:00 PM and alighted at Begumpet in the morning at 05:30 AM.