Somnath - Revision history

Jyoti: /* Trivia */

2026-07-01T22:11:04Z

‎Trivia

Jyoti: /* The temple */

2026-07-01T22:06:23Z

‎The temple

Jyoti: /* A backgrounder */

2025-05-07T16:46:23Z

‎A backgrounder

Jyoti: /* Somnath */

2024-04-28T13:17:31Z

‎Somnath

Pdewan: /* The temple */

2015-06-16T22:45:28Z

‎The temple

Pdewan at 22:43, 16 June 2015

2015-06-16T22:43:46Z

Pdewan: Created page with "{| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|
This article has been extracted from
THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.
OXFORD, AT THE CLAR..."

2014-09-27T17:02:03Z

Created page with "{| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%"> This article has been extracted from <br/> THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/> OXFORD, AT THE CLAR..."

New page

{| class="wikitable"
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|colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%">
This article has been extracted from <br/>

THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/>

OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.
</div>
|}
[[Category:India|S]]
[[Category:Places|S]]
''Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value. ''

=Somnath=

Ancient town in the State of Junagarh, Kathiawar, Bombay,
situated in 20° 53' N. and 70 degree 28' E., at the eastern extremity of
a bay on the south coast of the peninsula of Kathiawar. Population
(1901), 8,341. The western headland of the bay is occupied by the
port of Veraval, which gives to the locality its more common name
of Veraval Pattan. On the edge of the sea, nearly half-way between
the two towns, stands a large and conspicuous temple, dedicated to Siva.
A few hundred yards behind this temple is the reservoir called the
Bhat Kund, the traditional scene of the death of Krishna. Farther
inland rises the wild hill district called the Gir, and in the remote
distance stands out the sacred mountain which the people of Kathiawar
delight to call the ' royal Girnar.' The country near Somnath is full
of memorials of Krishna, the principal centre of interest being a spot
to the east of the town, where, near the union of three beautiful
streams, the body of the hero is said to have been burnt.

Somnath is a gloomy place — a city of graves and ruins. On the
west the plain is covered with Musalman tombs, on the east are
numerous Hindu shrines and monuments. The town was protected
on the south by a fort, and on the remaining three sides by a deep
trench cut out of the solid rock. The fort, situated on the shore
within a few feet of high-water mark, does not depart in any important
particular from the general design of Gujarat fortresses. It is square
in form, with large gateways in the centre of each side, outworks or
barbicans in front of these, and second gateways in the sides of the
outworks. Somnath is now especially famous for the manufacture
of door-locks made of wood and iron. It is the head-quarters of
a mahal or revenue division, with the courts of revenue and judicial
officers. Though some wealthy bankers and merchants reside here,
the moneyed classes have mostly betaken themselves to the neigh-
bouring port of Veraval.

Before its capture by Mahmud of Ghazni (1024-6), little is known
of the history of Somnath. In the eighth century this part of Kathi-
awar is said to have been in the hands of a Hne of Rajput princes
bearing the surname of Chavada. These chiefs probably owned
allegiance to powerful Chalukyas or Solankis, who reigned at Kalyan
in the Deccan. Mahmud of Ghazni, after his invasion, left behind him
a Muhammadan governor at Somnath. Subsequently the A^ajas (a sub-
branch of the Rathor tribe) acquired Somnath and revived the glories
of the ancient fane. But it was again overthrown by Ulugh in 1298.
From this date Muhammadan supremacy prevailed. Afterwards, on
the downfall of the Muhammadan power, Somnath was ruled at
different times by the Shaikh of Mangrol and the Rana of Porbandar,
but was finally conquered by the Nawab of Junagarh, in whose hands
it remains.

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-''' The Somnath temple '''
+This history of Somnath has often been used to divide Hindus and Muslims. The British attempted this as far back as 1842, when a British official claimed to have “avenged the insult of Hindus” by bringing back the “sandalwood gates of Somnauth” from Afghanistan. The gates later turned out to be neither of Somnath nor of sandalwood. Here’s a brief history.
-−
-Located in Prabhas Patan, Veraval, Somnath is an important Hindu pilgrimage site. According to the temple’s website, it is “the holy place of the First Aadi Jyotirling Shree Somnath Mahadev and the sacred soil where Lord Shri Krishna took his last journey…”
-−
-By most historical accounts, the temple faced several attacks from raiders, with the most damaging by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026 CE. This history of Somnath has often been used to divide Hindus and Muslims. The British attempted this as far back as 1842, when a British official claimed to have “avenged the insult of Hindus” by bringing back the “sandalwood gates of Somnauth” from Afghanistan. The gates later turned out to be neither of Somnath nor of sandalwood. Here’s a brief history.
 ''' Lord Ellenborough’s proclamation '''
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 SOMNATH]]
 [[Category:Places|SSOMNATHSOMNATH
 SOMNATH]]

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 Shree Somnath Trust, which manages ancient Somnath temple, put up a prominent notice board at the temple campus on the coastal town of Gir-Somnath district.
 The notice reads: "The Somnath Jyotirling Tirthdham is holy place for Hindus. In this holy place of Hindus, non-Hindus will only be allowed for Darshan in Somnath temple who have taken permission from General Manager's office." The notice has been issued on behalf of Somnath Trust.
 ==The trust==
 Importantly, Shree Somnath Trust's chairman is former chief minister Keshubhai Patel and its trustees includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former chief secretary of Gujarat P K Laheri and former deputy prime minister L K Advani.
 L K Advani had kicked off his Rathyatra from this temple town in 1991 which followed by Babri Mosque demolition in AyodhyA.

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 Another thing Nehru opposed, as Thapar writes, “was a circular sent round to Indian ambassadors, asking them to collect and send to Somanatha containers of water from the major rivers of the countries to which they were accredited, as well as soil and twigs from the mountains of these countries.” Nehru asked the Ministry of External Affairs to ignore these requests.
-[[Category:India|S
+=The reconstruction=
 SOMNATH]]
-[[Category:Places|S
+[[Category:Pages with broken file links|SOMNATH]]
 SOMNATH]]

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 =The temple=
-[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-entry-for-non-Hindus-to-Somnath-temple-without-permit-in-Gujarat/articleshow/47527192.cms ''The Times of India'']
+[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-entry-for-non-Hindus-to-Somnath-temple-without-permit-in-Gujarat/articleshow/47527192.cms ''The Times of India''], June 3, 2015
 Somnath temple stands at the shore of the Arabian Sea on the western corner of the Subcontinent on Saurashtra. This pilgrimage is one of the oldest in the country.

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-[[Category:India|S]]
-[[Category:Places|S]]
 ''Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value. ''
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 but was finally conquered by the Nawab of Junagarh, in whose hands
 it remains.
 =The temple=

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 ''Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value. ''
 Ancient town in the State of Junagarh, Kathiawar, Bombay,
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 but was finally conquered by the Nawab of Junagarh, in whose hands
 it remains.