From 1026 CE Ashes to 2026 Eternity: The Glorious Living History of Somnath Jyotirlinga

Somnath.
The very sound of this name stirs something ancient within the Indian heart.

It is not merely a temple, not merely stone and sculpture. Somnath is a proclamation — of memory, of continuity, of the soul of Bharat that refuses to forget itself. Situated on the western edge of India at Prabhas Patan in Gujarat, where land meets the restless Arabian Sea, Somnath has stood as both sentinel and sanctuary for millennia.

When the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram opens with the line “सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च”, it is not accidental. It announces Somnath as the first among the twelve Jyotirlingas, anchoring the spiritual geography of India.

It is also said: सोमलिङ्गं नरो दृष्ट्वा सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते। लभते फलं मनोवाञ्छितं मृतः स्वर्गं समाश्रयेत्॥

It means: Just the sight of Somnath Jyotirlinga ensures that a person is freed of sins, achieves their righteous desires and attains heaven after death. Long before invasions were recorded or dynasties rose and fell, Somnath was already woven into the civilizational consciousness of this land.

A Temple Older Than Recorded History

According to ancient Puranic traditions, Somnath’s origins reach back beyond conventional historical timelines. The Skanda Purana’s Prabhas Khanda speaks of the Jyotirlinga being established during the Treta Yuga, under the Vaivasvata Manvantara. Scholars associated with traditional Indic chronology, including Swami Gajananand Saraswati of Varanasi, have calculated—based on these textual traditions—that the first consecration of Somnath occurred nearly eight million years ago.

Whether one approaches this with faith, scripture, devotion or symbolism, the undeniable truth remains: Somnath has been central to Indian spiritual life and faith since time immemorial.

The Moon God and the Meaning of Renewal

The most enduring legend associated with Somnath is that of Chandra, the Moon God, and his liberation from decay.

Bhagwan Bholenath Blessing Moon God

Cursed by father-in-law Daksha Prajapati for arrogance and neglect of his wives, except Rohini, Chandra began to lose his radiance. Guided by Brahma, he arrived at Prabhas Tirtha and performed intense penance to Bhagwan Shiva. Moved by devotion, Shiva restored Chandra’s light—but only partially, creating the eternal waxing and waning of the moon.

In gratitude, Chandra established Somnath Temple —the Lord of the Moon.

The symbolism is powerful. Loss, repentance, renewal. Darkness followed by light. This philosophy would repeat itself through history.

Tradition holds that Chandra built a golden temple, Ravana rebuilt it in silver, and Lord Shri Krishna restored it using sandalwood. Whether read literally or symbolically, these layers reflect continuous reverence across ages.

Somnath: A Guiding Light of Faith, Inspiration and Prosperity

Somnath’s location was not incidental. Facing the open sea, it stood at the crossroads of maritime trade routes. Merchants, sailors, pilgrims, scholars — all passed through Prabhas Patan. The temple was both spiritual axis and economic nucleus, reflecting a confident civilization that saw no separation between sacred life and worldly prosperity.

This visibility also made Somnath a target for invading looters.

1026 CE: The First Recorded Destruction and loot

In January 1026, Mahmud of Ghazni invaded Gujarat and attacked Somnath during the reign of Bhima I of the Solanki dynasty. Persian chronicles themselves describe the scale of destruction and plunder — wealth accumulated over centuries, shattered idols, bloodshed, and terror.

Mahmud Ghazni looted vast riches and is said to have broken the Jyotirlinga into four pieces. Fragments were carried away as trophies of conquest.

But history often forgets what happened next.

Within four years, Somnath was rebuilt.

No royal proclamation. No imperial decree. Ordinary devotees, local rulers, merchants, ascetics — they came together and restored what had been destroyed. The message was clear: Somnath did not belong to kings; it belonged to faith.

Centuries of Destruction, Centuries of Reconstruction

Somnath Destroyed Temple 1580 CE Image Courtesy : British Library

Somnath Destroyed Temple 1587 CE. Image Courtesy : British Library

Image Courtesy : DH Sykes (British Library)

Somnath would face repeated attacks by Islamic invaders:

• 1299 – Alauddin Khalji’s forces ravaged the temple
• 1395 – Zafar Khan destroyed it again
• 1669 – Aurangzeb ordered its demolition and conversion

Each time, destruction followed power.
Each time, reconstruction followed devotion.

Great queen Ahilyabai Holkar, ruling from distant Malwa, rebuilt Somnath in 1783, refusing to allow sacred memory to die.

This cycle reveals something essential about Indian civilization: we rebuild not out of revenge, but remembrance.

Swami Vivekananda and the Meaning of Ruins

When Swami Vivekananda visited Somnath in the late 19th century, the temple lay scarred, wounded by centuries of assault. Yet what moved him was not grief, but recognition.

In 1897, during a lecture in Chennai in 1897, he famously said, “Some of these old temples of Southern India and those like Somnath of Gujarat will teach you volumes of wisdom, will give you a keener insight into the history of the race than any amount of books.”

They revealed a national mind — continually destroyed, continually rising.

We firmly believe that that which is eternal is indestructible, as outlined in the famous Gita verse “नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि…”.

Somnath was not a story of defeat. It was a lesson in endurance and glory.

1947: Freedom and an Unfinished Wound

When India gained independence, Somnath still lay in neglect.

During a visit in November 1947, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel stood before the ruins. Those who accompanied him recalled his silence. Then he spoke, firmly and simply: Somnath will be rebuilt here.

For Sardar Patel, this was not a religious act alone. It was civilizational healing.

No mention of Somnath is complete without recalling the efforts of KM Munshi, who supported Sardar Patel very effectively. His works on Somnath, including the book, ‘Somanatha: The Shrine Eternal’, are extremely informative and educative.

With the unwavering efforts of K. M. Munshi, the project took shape. Despite political hesitation and objections, the resolve did not waver.

On 11 May 1951, the restored Somnath Temple was consecrated. Dr. Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President, stood before the Somnath Jyotirlinga and declared words that echo through history:

“By rising from its ashes again, this temple is proclaiming to the world that no power can destroy what people hold with boundless faith.”

2026: One Thousand Years Later

The year 2026 marks exactly one thousand years since the first recorded attack on Somnath.

Mahmud of Ghazni is remembered for destruction.
Somnath is remembered for survival.

The invaders are footnotes.
The temple is eternal.

The waves still crash against the shore at Prabhas Patan, just as they did a millennium ago.
Each wave seems to whisper the same truth: rise again, regain glory.

More Than Relic, Immortal

Somnath is not merely Hindu devotion history. It is Indian history. Jain acharyas, Vaishnava saints, Shaiva yogis — all found meaning here.

The centuries ago, Kalikal Sarvagna Hemchandracharya, a respected Jain monk, came to Somnath. It is said that after bowing down there, he recited a verse of renunciation and liberation, “भवबीजाङ्कुरजनना रागाद्याः क्षयमुपगता यस्य।”. It means – Salutations to That One in whom the seeds of worldly becoming are destroyed, in whom passion and all afflictions have withered away.”

Somnath welcomes all who seek inner stillness.

Why Somnath Matters Today

The Last Nritya Of Chaula Devi at the Somnath Temple -1022-64-CE.
Image Courtesy : Artist Ravishankar (1924)

In a world that often forgets its roots, Somnath reminds India who she is.

The Islamic plunderer of the past are now dust in the wind, their names synonymous with destruction and loot. They are chronicles in the annals of history, while Somnath stands bright, radiating far beyond the horizon, reminding us of the eternal spirit that remained undiminished by the attack of 1026. Somnath is a song of hope that tells us that while hate and fanaticism may have the power to destroy for a moment, faith and conviction in the power of goodness have the power to create for eternity.

• A civilization that absorbs wounds but refuses erasure.
• A people who rebuild temples, languages, traditions, and dreams.
• A nation that moves forward without abandoning faith.

If Somnath could rise after centuries of invading destruction, India can rise after centuries of colonization.

Conclusion: The Eternal Flame

Somnath stands today —majestic, luminous, glorious, unbowed.

It is not a relic of the past. It is a promise to the future.

Image Courtesy : narendramodi.in

We will conclude with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent statement :

“If the Somnath Temple, which was attacked a thousand years ago and faced continuous attacks thereon, could rise again and again, then we can surely restore our great nation to the glory it embodied a thousand years ago before the invasions. With the blessings of Shree Somnath Mahadev, we move forward with a renewed resolve to build a Viksit Bharat, where civilizational wisdom guides us to work for the welfare of the whole world.”

Jai Somnath.

The Jnanpith Award–winning writer Vinod Kumar Shukla, who taught generations of readers how to listen to silence, passed away at the age of 89. His passing away does not knock with noise or spectacle—just like his writing, it leaves behind a quiet pause, conveying us to feel the painful silence rather than react.

“I want to stay alive till i die a natural death, Not till I killed by someone else” ~late Vinod Kumar Shukla

Prime Minister Narendra Modi voiced despair over Shukla’s passing, calling him a literary figure whose contribution to Hindi literature will be remembered for generations. In a message posted on X, the Prime Minister extended condolences to Shukla’s family, admirers, and the larger literary fraternity.

But Vinod Kumar Shukla’s true memorial does not live in official tributes. It lives in a clerk’s unspoken fatigue, in a window opening quietly in a wall, in a servant’s worn shirt that becomes an entire universe. His literature never shouted for attention; it waited patiently for readers who were willing to slow down. A Writer Who Chose the Ordinary—and Made It Eternal.

Born on January 1, 1937, in Rajnandgaon (in present-day Chhattisgarh), Shukla grew up far from the power centres of Indian literature. Perhaps that distance shaped his gaze. He looked not at heroes, but at everyday people—middle-class families, small-town clerks, silent households—and found in them a depth that others often overlooked.

He began his literacy journey as a poet, and poetry always lived in him. Even when he turned to fiction, his literary style carried the softness of verse. His passages moved slowly, deliberately, as if they did not want to disturb the inner lives they described. Unlike conventional narratives driven by dramatic events, Shukla’s stories often unfolded through stillness—through thoughts left unfinished, emotions barely spoken, and lives lived with quiet dignity.

In a literary world increasingly drawn to spectacle, his work gently resisted it. Books That breathe, Yet Stayed Forever Among his most celebrated works, Naukar Ki Kameez remains iconic—later adapted into a film by filmmaker Mani Kaul—a rare novel that transformed simplicity into philosophy.

Deewar Mein Ek Khidki Rehti Thi, for which he received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999, further established his reputation as a master of inward-looking fiction.

Books like Lagbhag Jai Hind, Khilega To Dekhenge, and Ek Chuppi Jagah revealed his unique ability to mix the everyday with quiet imagination—never loud, never forceful, but deeply unsettling in their honesty.

Often associated with the post–Nayi Kavita sensibility, Shukla stood apart even from his contemporaries. His writing carried moral clarity without preaching, compassion without sentimentality, and resistance without slogans. Recognition came late—but meaningfully in 2023, Vinod Kumar Shukla received the 59th Jnanpith Award, India’s highest literary honour, becoming the first writer from Chhattisgarh to do so.

Many felt the recognition was long overdue. In an interview that year, he responded to the honour with characteristic humility, saying that writers do not write for awards, and that recognition arrives naturally when one remains honest to the path of writing.

He also spoke fondly of his early years in Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh), recalling how his first poetry collection was published after poet and critic Ashok Vajpeyi selected his poems.

He often credited his mother’s love for Bengali literature for shaping his early reading habits.

The Final Chapter Of Life

Shukla had been admitted to AIIMS Raipur on December 2 after experiencing breathing difficulties. He had also undergone treatment at a private hospital earlier in the year. His family confirmed that he passed away due to age-related health issues on December 23, 2025 at 4:58 PM. He is survived by his wife, son Shashwat, and a daughter.

The last rites of renowned Hindi writer and Jnanpith Award recipient Vinod Kumar Shukla were performed with full state honour in Raipur. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai visited residence of Vinod Kumar Shukla and paid his final farewell.

At Bharatnewsupdates, we deeply mourn the passing of Vinod Kumar Shukla, one of the most original and quietly radical voices in Indian literature. His legacy will live on forever.

With his passing, Hindi literature does not lose a celebrity writer—it loses a conscience that believed in softness, restraint, and listening. Vinod Kumar Shukla showed us that the most powerful literary works are not always loud. Sometimes, they simply sit beside us, quietly changing how we see the world.

And long after the headlines fade, his words will remain—unhurried, humane, and endlessly alive.