SOMNATH VERAWAL BEACH

Verawal is a fishing port in between Diu and Porbandar on the Saurashtra coast is at a distance of 5 kms from the Somnath Temple. This temple is one of the twelve 'Jyotirlingas of Shiva'. The temple is believed to have appeared first in gold, at the behest of the moon-god, next in silver, created by the sun-god, a third time in wood at the command of Krishna, and finally in stone, built by Bhimdeva, the strongest of the five Pandava brothers form Mahabharata. It contains one of the 12 sacred Shiva shrines known as Jyotirlingas. Not surprisingly, temple wealth came to the attention of the Mahmud of Ghazni, who captured and plundered so many of western India's cities (997 -1030); the temple was battered and pillaged, and its riches taken to Afghanistan.

 The present temple was commissioned by Sardar Patel in the 1950s. The temple is impressive, the aura of devotion even more awesome, but the high point is it's location by the blue waters of the Arabian sea. The beach of Somnath is unshaded but lovely, the views are just stupendous. The most spectacular sight of Veraval is the fishing port, where thousands of trawlers, country crafts and dhows can be seen unloading their catch. The most famous excursion from here is ofcourse Sasan, the headquarters of the 1412 sq km Gir national park & wildlife sanctuary, one of the most important wildlife preserves in India.

Ahmedpur Mandvi Beach :: Chorwad Beach :: Dwarka Beach :: Gopnath Beach :: Kutch Mandvi Beach