[fan made] written title-stories are fictious, not real or authorized stuff for some stories in the serial.
The historical story of a great ruler Ahilyabai holkar.
The architectural structures built by Ahilyabai Holkar and the story behind building...
3) Somnath Temple/ Ahilyabai Temple/ Old Somnath Temple
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The small and sleepy town of Somnath earns much of its claim to fame for housing one of the twelve rare Jyotirlingas. The Somnath Temple here has been raided 6 times and all its treasures plundered by Mahmud of Ghazni. There are myths and facts about this small town which will leave you dumbfounded. For instance, i) The Somnath Temple was build firstly with gold, then with silver and later on with stone and wood.
ii)Secondly, Lord Krishna was said to be fatally wounded here by a poacher who took him to be a deer.
This quaint town lies at the confluence of three rivers namely Saraswati, Hiran and Kapila. Amongst the many Holy places in Somnath, Ahilyabai Temple built in 1783 deserves a special mention.
Location At a distance of 2.5km from Somnath Railway Station, Ahilyabai Temple is a Hindu pink painted structure located in Somnath that has played witness to the colourful history of this land. It is situated opposite to the famous Somnath Temple, it is one of the old and beautiful temples in Somnath.
History Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Ahilyabai Temple was built by Maratha Malwa queen Ahilyabai Holkar, who patronized Hindu religion in all its glory in 1783. Even to this day, Lord Shiva is worshipped in this temple. The history of Ahilyabai Temple and Somnath Temple is closely interlinked. i) It is said that Ahilyabai Holkar was deeply moved by the ravaged state of the temple and took on herself the task of reconstructing it.
ii) It is also said that this temple was constructed as a substitute for the main Somnath Temple when it was raided and ravaged by the Muslim rulers.
iii) It is also said that the location of the swayambhulinga came in Ahilyabai's dreams post which she started the construction immediately.
iv) Many Hindus believe that Ahilyabai Temple contains the original Jyotirlinga which was hidden here assuming that the original Somnath Temple is going to be raided.
This small, pink painted temple has a Shivalinga which is below the ground level. Unlike the new Somnath Temple, everybody is allowed to enter the garbhagriha and perform pooja with the help of the priest. The aarti offered here is accompanied by multiple musical instruments including damroos and makes for a tantalizing experience. Opposite to this temple is the Somnath Mandir, which is the first jyotirlinga among the twelve jyotirlinga. This temple was raided,destroyed or desecrated by: i) Mahmud of Ghazni ii) Arabs in 8th century iii) Alauddin Khilji in 13th century iv) Zafar Khan, Gujarata Sultanate in 1395. v) Mahmud Begada, Sultan of Gujarata in 1451. vi) Portuguese in 16th century vii) Aurangzeh in 1665 and in 1702 AD.
