Somnath

Somnath, literally meaning 'lord of the moon' is a pilgrim center and is home to one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. It is a town which derives much of its identity from the mythology, religion, and legends that surround it.
Primarily a temple town, Somnath is a place where a strong scent of religion and legends lingers around tourism and even daily life. Its spiritual environment is ornamented by the huge number of temples in the area, however, Somnath also offers beaches, museums and other attractions. While the Somnath temple and Somnath beach are the primary places to visit here, Gita Mandir, Balukha Tirtha, Kamnath Mahadev Temple, Somnath Museum are some of the other places that one can visit.

Temple History
The Temple is backed by a chequered and elaborate history. It is said the first version of the temple came into being even before the start of Christian era. The second version of the temple came into being under the initiative of the Vallabhi king around 408AD-768AD. This temple is often referred to as the ‘eternal shrine’ because historical records say that this temple has been destroyed several times by invaders and have been resurrected several times too.

Archaeological investigations point out that the temple of Somnath had been rebuilt nearly thrice before the raid of Muhammad Ghaznavi in the year 1026. Also, it is told that later the temple was attacked three times more. Thus the temple was attacked and destroyed as many as 6 times until the present 7th version emerged. The latest rebuilding of Somnath temple was done in 1947 under the initiative of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; the then deputy PM. Prabhashankar Sompura was chosen as the architect and thus the present day Somnath temple came into being. On 11th May, 1950 the then president of the country, Rajendra Prasad inaugurated the temple.

Some of the ancient texts tell that the temple was built for the first time in gold by king Somraj during Satya Yuga. In Treta Yuga, Ravana had built it out of silver while in Dwapara yuga lord Krishna had built it out of wood. Later King Bhimadev had built the temple out of stone. That is the claim of some of the ancient scriptures of our country.

Gujarat Tourism

Gujarat Tourism On the western coast of India, the state of Gujarat is the "Jewel of the West" in India. In Gujarat, one of India's most industrialized and prosperous states, you find the modern milieu and the age-old traditions happily married. The state derives its name from 'Gujjaratta' - meaning the land of the Gujjars, a tribe who migrated to India long back in 5th century AD. But some archeological findings from areas like Lothal, Dholavira, Rangpur, date back to the period of the Indus Valley Civilization. Since then, the state has seen the rise and fall of a number of mighty empires like the Mauryas, the Khiljis and other Muslim rulers, the Marathas till the British. The people of Gujarat reflect the vibrant culture of the state. They love to wear colorful dresses and the women prefer wearing a lot of ornaments. Most of the people speak in Gujarati. Hindi, Urdu, Sindhi and English are also spoken in Gujarat.