Jyotirlinga Guide
सोमनाथ

Somnath Jyotirlinga, Somnath (Veraval)

No. 1 in the stotram list, in Somnath (Veraval), Gujarat. Coast, open all year.
Stotram list
No. 1
Season
Oct to Mar
Railhead
Veraval
about 6 km
Airport
Diu
about 85 km
Stay
Trust atithi gruh at Sagar Darshan, Lilavati and Maheshwari, coast hotels

Official website: Shree Somnath Trust (somnath.org)

The emblem here is our own drawing. The logo belongs to the trust, so we leave it on their site and keep this independent guide from being mistaken for it.

The map loads when it scrolls into view.

© OpenFreeMap ©OpenStreetMap
Map centre: town, not the gateOpen in Google Maps
Drawing of a carved sandstone temple on a sea wall with waves breaking on the rocks below
The temple on the seashore. Illustration, not a photo.

The story of Somnath

The first of the twelve, on the Arabian Sea at Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Gir Somnath district. The trust calls it the Aadi Jyotirling, on the soil where it places the last journey of Krishna.

The legend

The Moon God, Soma, is held to have been freed from the curse of his father-in-law Daksha Prajapati by the blessings of Somanath. The trust quotes the Shiva Purana and the Nandi Upapurana, in which Shiva says he is always present everywhere but especially in twelve forms and places as the jyotirlingas. The site is also mentioned in the Skanda Purana, the Shrimad Bhagavat and the Rig Veda.

What it is known for

The shore temple is held to have been raised in four phases, in gold by Soma, in silver by Ravi, in wood by Krishna and in stone by King Bhimadeva, and to have been desecrated six times. The trust records that the seventh temple, in the Kailas Mahameru Prasad style, was championed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, with a 155 foot shikhara, a 10 ton kalash and a 27 foot dhwajdand. The Baan Stambh at the shore is read as an unobstructed sea line to the South Pole, and the trust gives the nearest land on that line as about 9,936 km away.

Where this came from
What a jyotirlinga is, and the traditional order →

Darshan at Somnath

Somnath is an active temple with a daily ritual schedule, not a monument. The free queue is the default: it costs nothing and on a normal weekday it moves well. Paid darshan, if the trust offers one, buys a shorter line rather than a different view of the linga. On festival days the paid line is often suspended entirely.

Aarti is the part worth planning around. Slots are limited, some are booked days ahead, and walk-ins are turned away once the hall is full.

The temple is open for darshan from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM, with aarti at 7:00 AM, 12:00 noon and 7:00 PM.

Source: somnath.org.

Booking and darshan optionsTrain, flight and road
The queue on a normal day

Entry is free and the trust runs no paid darshan line, so the day schedule is the whole story: open 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM, aarti at 7:00 AM, 12:00 noon and 7:00 PM, and the Jay Somnath sound and light show afterwards, which does not run in the monsoon.

What changes at peak

The trust keeps its own festival programme and ticket-free days on its events and festivals pages, which is the page to read before a festival week.

Where this came from

When the crowds arrive

February to March, Mahashivratri

The temple stays open through the night for well over a day: 40 hours in 2025 and 42 hours from 4:00 AM in 2026, with lakhs of visitors and heavy police arrangements.

July to August, Shravan

The heaviest month of the year. News reports put Shravan 2026 at about 22.6 lakh visitors, against a normal day of more than 25,000. The Mondays and the Janmashtami holidays are the peaks.

November, Kartik Purnima

The trust holds a five-day Lokmela, a fair, near the temple around Kartik Purnima. Rain moved it in 2025 and cut it short in 2023, so check the dates in the year you go.

Where this came from
What Mahashivratri changes at all twelve →

Where to stay

Three ways people stay at Somnath, cheapest and closest first.

Trust guest houses and dharamshalasThe cheapest rooms with the shortest walk. Usually booked by phone or at the counter on the day, and the ones that take online bookings are listed on the stay page.
Hotels and lodges in townTrust atithi gruh at Sagar Darshan, Lilavati and Maheshwari, coast hotels. Price bands and the walk time to the gate are on the stay page, with the booking links.
Staying outside and driving inUseful when the town fills up: the nearest city with a wider choice of rooms, and what that adds to the morning.
All stay options near Somnath →

What is around Somnath

Evening sound and light show at the shore. Most visitors give the temple a few hours and leave the same day, which is a miss: the places worth half a day sit within a short drive, and going early or late avoids the crowd that arrives with the coaches.

  • Bhalka Tirth, 5 km
  • Dehotsarg Tirth, 1.5 km
  • Shri Ram Mandir
  • Geeta Mandir
Everything around Somnath, with the sources →

Rules and practicalities

Phones, cameras and bags

Mobiles, cameras, smartwatches, laptops, tablets and calculators are not allowed inside. All of it goes in the cloak room lockers, which are free.

Dress code

Sarees, dhotis, trousers, t-shirts and skirts are allowed. Avoid mini skirts and what the trust calls disrespectful dress. Smoking is not allowed anywhere in the temple area.

Accessibility and the walk

Wheelchairs and a golf cart are available at the main gate, and there is a lift inside the temple.

Festival days

Somnath on Mahashivratri and during Shravan runs on a different schedule with far longer queues. See the festival pages for what changes.

Other notices
  • The Jay Somnath sound and light show runs from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and not in the monsoon.
  • A Tirth Darshan bus leaves the main gate at 8:30 AM and 3:30 PM for the temples around Somnath, at a charge the trust does not publish.
  • The trust runs a free bhojanalay.
  • Lilavati and Maheshwari Samaj Atithi Gruh: Rs 750 non-AC and Rs 950 AC for two. Hari-Har Dham family rooms: Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500. Dormitory beds: Rs 90 non-AC and Rs 200 AC. GST is extra. Sagar Darshan is the sea-facing guest house next to the temple; its page prints two different tariffs, so check the price when you book. Book on somnath.org or at the trust office only. Where to stay.
On-ground detail came from

Sources for this temple: enquiry.indianrail.gov.in, somnath.org, wr.indianrailways.gov.in, somnath.org, somnath.org. What each one covers, and the date it was read, is on the darshan and booking page.

Common questions about Somnath

What are the Somnath temple timings?
The temple is open for darshan from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM, with aarti at 7:00 AM, 12:00 noon and 7:00 PM. The full day schedule, with the source it was read from and the date, sits on the booking page.
How do I reach Somnath?
The nearest railhead is Veraval, about 6 km, and the nearest airport is Diu, about 85 km. The how to reach page covers the last mile as well: which transport runs from the station, what it costs and how long it takes.
Where should I stay near Somnath?
Trust atithi gruh at Sagar Darshan, Lilavati and Maheshwari, coast hotels. The stay page lists the options by walking distance and price band, including the trust rooms and dharamshalas.
When is the best time to visit Somnath?
Oct to Mar. Open all year. Evening sound and light show at the shore.

Also in the West group

The other temples in the West group, the gujarat coast and the maharashtra hills.

BhimashankarPune district, MaharashtraTrimbakeshwarNashik, MaharashtraNageshwarDwarka, GujaratGrishneshwarSambhajinagar (Verul), Maharashtra
The West group: stations, airports and links to the other groups →

Also in Gujarat

NageshwarDwarka, Gujarat
Jyotirlingas in Gujarat →

Plan Somnath

How to reachVeraval and DiuWhere to stayTrust atithi gruh at Sagar Darshan, Lilavati and Maheshwari, coast hotelsDarshan and bookingFree queue, paid options, aarti slots