Friday, September 28, 2012

Somnath- The Nectar of Youth God


This temple, as obvious from the name, is dedicated to Somnath, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.
The Somnath Temple, Gujarat somnath jyotirlinga
There is quite a myth and legend that envelops the temple. According to folklore, Som is the name of the Moon God and was the son-in-law of Daksha. When Som was given some directions by Daksha, Som disregarded them. Daksha got furious and cursed Som that his light will wane. Before the curse, the moon was believed to be equally bright every night! After the curse, other Gods pleaded with Daksha to take it back. Daksha relented and asked Som to take a bath at the mouth of River Saraswati and worship Lord Shiva. The Lord was happy with his penance and reduced the waning to what we know as the lunar cycle.  Since then, Lord Shiva is known as Somdev. The Somdev Temple is believed to have been built by the Moon God Himself. People feel so because the temple has stood the test of time and vandals.
The Somdev Temple was apparently built by the Moon God in gold. Then Ravana supposedly rebuilt it in silver, then by Lord Krishna is wood and finally by Bhim, the second brother of the Pandavas, in stone. 

No comments:

Post a Comment