matra jal charhane se prasann ho jane vale bhagvan shankar ka ek prasiddh jyotirling saurashtra sthit somnath men avasthit hai. shravan mah men ashutosh shiv ki puja turant faldayi mani jati hai. shiv bhakt kanvriye vishesh rup se haridvar se jal lakar shivling ka abhishek karte hain. itihas sakshi hai somnath mandir kai bar bana aur kai bar uska vidhvans hua lekin trikaladarshi shiv vahan kisi n kisi rup men avashya vidyaman rahe. yah somnath patan, prabhas, prabhaspatan v veraval ke nam se bhi prasiddh hai. yahan kartik purnima evan maha shivratri ke avasar par vishal mela lagta hai. somnath jyotirling ke darshanon ka vishesh mahatva hai. yah shiv ka pratham jyotirling bhi mana jata hai. kahte hain iske darshan matra se manushya sabhi papon se mukt hota hai aur abhisht fal prapt karta hai. somnath ki parikrama karne se prithvi ki parikrama karne ke tulya punya milta hai. yah sthan pashupat mat ke shaivon ka kendra sthal bhi hai. iske pas hi bhagvan shrikrishn ka mandir bhi hai, yahan par shrikrishn ke charan men jara namak vyadh ka ban laga tha. yah sthan prakritik saundarya se bhi bharpur hai.
yahan ane vale yatri mandir ke prangan men baithakar is saundarya ko apni ankhon se bharpur niharte hain aur apne kaimre men sametne ka athak prayas karte hain. somnath mandir ka mahatva anadi kal se hai. is sandarbh men ek katha ka varnan puranon men is prakar milta hai- daksh prajapti ki 27 kanyaon ka vivah chandrama se hua lekin chandrama keval rohini se hi prem karte the. is karan anya 26 daksh kanyaen bahut udas rahti thin. unke shikayat karne par daksharaj ne chandrama ko bahut samjhaya lekin unka vyavhar nahin badla. ant men daksh ne chandrama ko ‘kshayi’ hone ka shap de diya. is tarah chandrama kshayagrast hokar dhire-dhire kshin hone lage. unka sudhavarshan ka karya ruk gaya. charon aur trahi mach gai. chandrama ke agrah par sabhi devtaon ne brahma ji se salah li. brahma ji ne chandrama ko samast devmandli ke sath somnath kshetra men jakar mahamrityunjay mantra se bhagvan shiv ki aradhna karne ki salah di. chandrama ne yahan lagatar 6 mahine tak shiv ki ghor tapasya ki. ashutosh bhagvan shiv ne prasann hokar marnasann chandrama ka samast rog har liya aur unhen amar hone ka vardan diya.
bhagvan shiv ne unhen ashvast kiya ki shap ke falasvarup krishn paksh men pratidin tumhari ek-ek kala kshin hoti jaegi lekin shukla paksh men usi kram se ek-ek kala barhti jaegi aur pratyek purnima ko tum purnachandra ho jaoge. chandrama shiv ke vachnon se gadagad ho gae aur shiv se hamesha ke lie vahin basne ka agrah kiya. chandra dev evan anya devtaon ki prarthana svikar kar bhagvan shankar bhavani sahit yahan jyotirling ke rup men nivas karne lage. somnath ke aspas ka sanpurn prabhas kshetra pavan hai. yahan bahne vali putslila sarasvati ke darshan matra se sanpurn pap v kasht dur ho jate hain. somnath mandir ratn jarit tha. ise attayiyon ne kai bar tora. mahmud gajnvi ne jab mandir ka vidhvans kiya to usse shivling nahin tuta. tab uske pas bhishan agni prajjvalit ki gai. mandir ke amulya hire javahrat lut lie gae.
uske bad raja bhimdev ne siddharaj jay sinh ki madad se mandir ka nirman kiya. uske bad punah alauddin khilji, aurangjeb ne mandir ko tahas nahas kar dala. ab jo navin mandir bana hai vah purane mandir ke bhagnavshesh ko hatakar banaya gaya hai. yah mandir samudra ke kinare hai. bharat ke svadhin hone par sardar patel ne is mandir ka nirman karvaya. is mandir men desh ke pratham rashtrapti daerajendra prasad ne jyotirling ki sthapna ki. vartaman mandir chalukya vastu shaili men bana hai jismen gujrat ke rajmistri ki kari mehanat v shilp kaushal spasht dikhai deta hai. mandir ke alg-alag bhag hain. shikhar, garbhagrih, sabha mandap evan nritya mandap. mandir ki suraksha vyavastha ko dhyan men rakhakar iska nirman is prakar kiya gaya hai ki iske v antartika ke bich men koi bhumi nahin hai.
ahalyabai mandir: somnath mandir se kuch hi duri par ahalyabai holakar ka banvaya somnath mandir hai. yahan bhumi ke niche somnath ling hai.
nagar ke anya mandir: ahalyabai mandir ke pas hi mahakali ka mandir hai. iske alava ganesh mandir, bhadrakali tatha bhagvan daityasudan (vishnu) ke mandir bhi hain. nagr-dvar ke pas gaurikund namak sarovar ke samip prachin shivling hai.
rachi triveni: yah sthan nagar se lagabhag ek mil ki duri par hai. yahan jate samay rah men brahmakund namak bavli milti hai. uske pas brahm kamandlu namak kup aur brahmeshvar shiv mandir hai. yahan par adi prabhas aur jal prabhas do kund hain. nagar ke purva men hiranya, sarasvati aur kapila nadiyan milti hain aur prachi triveni banati hain. prachi triveni sangam se kuch hi duri par surya mandir sthit hai. usse age ek gufa men hinglaj bhavani tatha siddhanath mahadev ke mandir hain. uske pas hi ek vriksh ke niche baldev ji ka mandir hai. kaha jata hai ki baldev ji yahan se shesh rup dharan kar patal gae the. yahan mahaprabhu shri ballabhacharya ki baithak bhi hai. yahin triveni mata, mahakaleshvar, shriram, shrikrishn tatha bhimeshvar ke mandir bhi hain. ise dehotsarg tirth bhi kaha jata hai.
yadav sthali: dehotsarg tirth se age hiranya nadi ke kinare yadav sthali hai. yahin paraspar yuddh karke yadavagan nasht hue the.
ban tirtha: yah sthan veraval steshan se somnath ate samay samudra ke kinare sthit hai. ban tirth se pashchim samudra ke kinare chandrabhaga tirth hai. yahan balu men kapileshvar mahadev ka sthan hai.
bhalak tirtha: kuch log ban tirth ko hi bhalak tirth kahte hain lekin ban tirth se derh mil pashchim bhalupur gram men bhalak tirth hai. yahan ek bhalkund sarovar hai. uske pas padmakund hai. ek pipal ke vriksh ke niche bhaleshvar shiv ka sthan hai. ise moksha-pipal kahte hain. bataya jata hai ki yahin pipal ke niche baithe shrikrishn ke charan men jara namak vyadh ne ban mara tha. charan men laga ban nikalakar bhalkund men fenka gaya.
kaise jaen: somnath ka nikatatam havai adda keshor hai. yahan se somnath ke lie lagatar taiksiyan aur basen chalti rahti hain. pashchimi relve ki rajkot-veraval aur khijriya-veraval relve lainon se veraval jaya ja sakta hai. veraval samudra tat par bandrgah hai. yahan saptah men ek bar jahaj ata hai. somnath sarak marg se bhi veraval, munbai, ahmdabad, bhav nagar, junagarh, porbandar adi sabhi shahron se jura hua hai.
kahan thahren: somnath ke aspas bare hotal nahin hain. vishram grih evan yatri nivas sasti dar par upalabdh ho jate hain.