Somnath.

The Somnath temple is a well designed and neatly executed temple complex.A designer temple, perfect ,without a single brick out of place or a crevice with wild plants.Berefet of ravages of time and seasons.

The statue of Sardar Vallabhai patel facing the Deity greets one at outer compound.
The security, as is the case elsewhere in this state is extremely tight and effective. No stone is left unturned . The bags of all irrespective of their age is thoroughly checked ,Since i visited the temple at night i could see the brilliant and powerful lights of a ship from the nearby sea ,sweeping the entire beach abutting the temple on and off.

The domes are exquisitely crafted and the marble floors sparkle in the bright lights .One can have a darshan of the Siva ling with the idol of Parvati at the back, from quite a long distance.Hence i was blessed not only with a good darshan but also was able to see the arti .It was a tame affair . The frenzied bhakthi of the devotees at Dwaraka was missing in here.
The vow undertaken in here is to pour water on the lingam .The priest instructs the devotees to pour it in a silver vessel that travels to the lingam and sprays over it.Devotees are not allowed to enter the sanctum ,as it is also at Dwaraka.

The next day's early morning arti was a bhakthi filled moment.100's of pilgrims ,even jeans clad college goers thronged the hall braving the cold winds blowing from the sea, and chanting 'Somnath ki ja'i
The sun that rises quite late in here [at 6 am it was pitch dark with all the stars glowing unlike at Chennai where dawn breaks before 6 ] shed its rays on the Siva lingam and was reflected all around, warming my bones that have grown cold and weary.

The parikrama amidst beds of flowers ,is near the compound wall that holds the gently murmuring waves of the Arabian sea at bay.
A beautiful experience!

photo. The Somnath temple.