Somnath Temple
Prime Minister Narendra Modi started Somnath Swabhiman festival. In a post on Twitter, the Prime Minister said that Somnath Swabhiman festival is a festival to remember those innumerable sons of Mother India who never compromised with their principles and values. No matter how difficult and frightening the times were, his resolve always remained steadfast. Due to this festival, Somnath temple is once again in the news. In fact, not only Somnath temple in the country, there are many other temples related to Som, which remain the center of faith.
First of all, let us know what PM Modi said regarding Somnath Temple? Actually, PM Modi wrote in tweeting, ‘Somnath Swabhiman festival is starting from today. A thousand years ago, in January 1026, the Somnath temple faced the first attack in its history. The attack of the year 1026 and the many attacks that followed could not shake our eternal faith, rather they strengthened the feeling of cultural unity of India and Somnath kept being revitalized again and again.
There is a mythological story of Somnath temple, which is related to Chandradev and King Daksh. Actually, due to the curse of Daksh, Chandradev was becoming weak. To save himself from the curse, he started penance of Lord Bholenath in Prabhas area. Shiva was pleased with Chandradev’s penance and he appeared in the form of Jyotirlinga. Lord Shiva freed Chandradev from the curse. After this, the devotee Chandradev himself created the Jyotirlinga, that is why this place was named Somnath because Som i.e. the Lord of the Moon is Shiva.
Now let us talk about other major temples related to ‘Som’ of the country, which include 5 huge temples from Someshwar Mahadev Temple of Pune to Someshwarnath Dham of Bihar.
Someshwar Mahadev Temple of Pune
Someshwar Temple is located in Pune, Maharashtra. This is an ancient self-contained Shiva temple on the banks of Ramnadi in Pashan area. Swayambhu means that Shivalinga itself appeared here. It is said that it was built 700 to 900 years ago. However, there is no definite mention regarding the year in which it was constructed. It is believed that it was renovated in black stone and Hemadpanti style by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s mother Jijabai Bhosale.
Someshwarnath Dham of East Champaran, Bihar
Baba Someshwarnath Dham is in East Champaran of Bihar. This temple place is also called Kashi of North Bihar. It is adjacent to the Nepal border. The history of this temple is said to be around 2000 years. It is said that this temple was established by King Som. The temple was named after King Som. It is believed that the Panchmukhi Shivalinga present here is self-existent.
Dev Somnath Temple of Dungarpur, Rajasthan
There is a Dev Somnath temple in Dungarpur, Rajasthan, which is situated on the banks of river Som. This temple has a unique architecture, which is built by joining stones without lime-cement. There are 148 pillars in the temple, which are made of marble. It is said about this temple that the Shivalinga present here is mysterious in itself, which grows every year. At the same time, it is said to be a hidden form of Somnath temple of Gujarat. If we talk about history, it is said that this three-storey temple was built around the 12th century, inscriptions of 1493 AD are visible on the walls.
Somalingeshwara Swamy Temple, Durki, Telangana
There is Somalingeshwar Swamy temple in Durki, Telangana, which is said to be from the time of Kalyani Chalukya dynasty. Here Bholenath appeared in the form of a child Someshwar. There is an eight faced Shivalinga here. The biggest thing is that the temple is made of stones and its entrance is in the west direction. This is a kind of unusual situation.
Someshwara Swamy Temple, Ulsoor, Bengaluru
Swami temple is situated in Ulsoor Someshwar, Bengaluru. This is an ancient Shiva temple of the area. It is said that this temple was built during the Chola period. The temple is about 1000 years old. The temple has beautifully carved pillars, sculptures with mythological scenes and a temple tank.
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