Somnath, Gujarat, India
The power of construction is greater than the power of destruction – so said Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India. It was on the occasion of the opening of the rebuilt Somnath temple in the early 1950s. What a wonderful thought , so eloquently expressed.
Somnath is the first of the twelve Jyotirlings, according to Hindu tradition and belief
. The temple is on the coast, right by the sea and has been the site of a temple for a long long time. But few temples have seen as much destruction as Somnath. It was repeatedly razed to the ground by Muslim invaders Mahmud of Ghazni, Allaudin Khilji and a host of others. Every time it was rebuilt. Moghul rulers did the same. Again it was rebuilt. Aurangazeb followed the tradition, destroyed it yet again and constructed a mosque on its site.
When India gained independence, Vallabhbhai Patel and KL Munshi rebuilt the temple yet again moving the mosque a couple of kilometres away. If you see parallels with another temple - mosque controversy of recent times........... It is thus a modern, ancient temple.
It is a splendid temple in the wonderful tradition of Gujarat. It is entirely unlike the temples of the South – it is not ancient; it's ancestry is only in the heart and in history. It is kept spotlessly clean. There is no demand for money, no pandas harassing, no bullying by priests, nothing. There are no beggars haranguing you for alms outside. There is no special queue for “quick darshan” – everybody stands in the same line and everybody gets the same darshan. In a culture that values business and riches, everybody is equal in front of God.
I went for the aarti – if you know the tradition in Gujarat, aarti is at a certain fixed time and is an elaborate affair complete with loud ringing of bells, beating of the drum, playing of the pipe, all building up to a crescendo. I can see how it can drive the devotees to fervor and probably even trance. I was moved today – a wonderful temple, practices after my heart and a soulful aarti – it was a sublime experience.
The temple has an absolute no electronics inside policy. Forget the mobile or camera, they even confiscated my car keys on the grounds that it had remote locking electronics. So no photographs I am afraid (hurray !!) – I had to click just a couple from well outside the temple.
I can see how they wish to prevent another Mahmud Ghazni operation again. But then perhaps they might wish to ponder on the wise saying of Rajendra Prasad – the power of construction ……..
Its right on the sea shore and the view is breathtaking. No land from there to the South Pole - here's a very helpful arrow marking the direction where the South Pole is !
This is a must visit temple if you are a believing Hindu.
Thus spake the President
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Somnath, Gujarat, India
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Comments
2025-05-22
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sriram
2014-02-18
that is a wonderfully articulated thought on being constructive. a,, the old leaders of india who said and did profound things, and then there is the current scenario ... oh well ...
the neatest thing about reading travel notes such as this one is the vicariousness .... given the limited time and budget, i am lucky to go even to a couple of places and visiting them via a friend makes me that much wiser ... may you travel a lot more and write about them too ...
btw, even this atheist loves going to churches and mosques and temples--like this somnath temple. not only for the history and art and everything else, but also because it is yet another window into understanding humans and, thus, getting a better idea of who i am ... so, don't exclude us atheists from such must-visit-temples ;)
Shachi
2014-02-18
Oh man, I miss a few days of your posting and you travel all the way to my birthplace....and make me miss it terribly!!!!!!
My mum was there in December and mentioned about how clean it is. And oh the beach, Somnath beach....I have few fond memories of that place.
I wish I was traveling with you.
indigoite
2014-02-19
@sriram - Oh yes, they were tall leaders.
Technology indeed gives us the ability to travel though the eyes of others. Which is why I love to read travel writing. Much enjoyed your own India travels which were far more extensive and longer than what I am attempting. Glad that I am able to contribute too in a small way
@Shachi - Oooh - you were born there ?? It really is a very pretty town. Come and join me - the good man will take care of R & R for a few days :)
Ravi Rajagopalan
2014-02-19
I am glad you enjoyed the visit - and at the risk of offending some people on this blog I have to say some of the stories around Somnath are not true. For example the story that the golden doors of the temple were lying on the streets of Kabul to be trampled by the lumpen was made up by an enterprising British officer and this passed into legend. Also temple raids were common even among Hindu Kings. Read Romila Thapar's "Somanatha". A wonderful read.
Vincy
2014-02-19
The first thing that comes to my mind is Mohammed of Ghazini, who plundered the temple multiple times. While I have known that the temple was rebuilt, a first person account from you about the temple is heart warming.
I think, as a rule, all holy places, should ban a mobile phone ( atleast that) and all other electronic equipment for that matter. If american embassy can do that, why not holy places? If an American embassy can do it, why not for the sake of Almighty. Nothing more insulting and ridiculous to see someone in a church during mass ( in my case, equivalent to a aarthi) usng the mobile phone or even letting it ring. And yes we sometimes forget there are certain levellers in this world and one of the first is almighty.
Asha
2014-02-19
no photo capture but beautifully captured in words. Soulful- the description of aarti made me visualize and what a surreal and sublime experience.
Vinod
2014-02-19
Din't know it was a Jyotirling and the history of razing down by Islamic rulers of different eras. Learned new things. Touched.
indigoite
2014-02-20
@Ravi - Oh sure there were exaggerations, but there is little doubt that the razing down of temples by invaders far far dwarfs any temple looting done by Hindu kings. Nobody is a saint, but in any degree the bigotry of the Islamic invaders of medieval times is extreme
@Vincy - I happen to fully endorse the no mobile no camera policy. But no car keys .... ??
@Asha - Indeed, it ws a sublime experience, even more so as later posts will shw other temples were no match for Somnath.
@Vindo - Yes, it has a painful history.
Sandhya Sriram
2014-02-22
Indian Devotees are a paradox. Some times the site of the diety is lost in the urge to gain access. sometimes there are long queues to drop tons of money into the hundi, but no money to educate the son of the maid, sometimes, long queues to get a cup of prasad for every single member of the family, why not leave it for someone who cant afford it and probably share a small portion among yourself for your satisfaction, i dont know, i always wonder - how physical rather than emotional devotion is in our country.
A Prayer from a pure heart is always heard and may your prayers be answered. though, I dont know what you asked. Infact, you are someone who can only give, and never ask, even to God. So I pray on your behalf that you get all the peace and happiness that life can ever give. Amen.
Suja
2014-02-24
I hope one day I can drag my husband on a Jyotirlinga tour...I would like that, whether he does or not. And absolutely agree that temples should treat everyone equally. (But secretly pleased that Tirupati now has some special queue for NRIs - hey, we come to India on such short trips, Our time is more precious that everyone else's! That's SO obvious! !)
indigoite
2014-02-25
@Sandhya - Thanks. Much humbled by your prayer. Need it.
@Suja - Yes a Jyotirling tour is a great experience although its tough to do given that the 12 are so far apart. Haha . We'll forgive the NRIs :)
neeleshshanbhag
2014-03-03
Am not sure if the Aarti was at Night or Day... with your detailed writing., remembered the aarti which was great to watch @ Haridwar at Night.. Thanks for all this Ramesh... recollecting so many things..
indigoite
2014-03-06
@Neelesh - This was daytime, but you are right, Aarti at night would be even more spectacular.