Somnath Temple

The Somnath Temple at Veraval on the Saurashtra coast is the first of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva and one of the most fought-over religious sites in Indian history. The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt seven times — by Mahmud of Ghazni (1024), Alauddin Khalji (1299), Muzaffar Shah (1395), Mahmud Begada (1469), Aurangzeb (1665), and others — each demolition followed by restoration under various Indian rulers, most famously by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar in the 18th century. The present temple is the eighth iteration, built in the Chalukya style and inaugurated by President Rajendra Prasad in 1951 — a project championed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as one of independent India's first major reconstruction efforts. The 50-metre tower is the centerpiece; the 8.5-metre shikhara holds a kalash weighing 10 tons. The temple sits directly on the coast — the inscription on the Bana Stambha (arrow pillar) on the south side claims unbroken sea between this temple and Antarctica. The daily evening sound-and-light show ('Jay Somnath') is widely attended.