Temples of Gujarat

The western Indian state of Gujarat invites a number of visitors from across the world. Besides other tourist attractions, the temples of Gujarat are also much popular with tourists who visit them to experience and traditional Indian architecture and soak up the charm of the Indian myhtology. As you go on visiting these temples one by one, you also come to know numerous interesting legends relating to the Indian pantheon of gods.

Some of the most famous temples of Gujarat are as follows:

Somnath Temple
Facing the wide open Arabian Sea, the temple at Somnath is an imposing structure offering a spectacular sight to the beholders. At a distance of 79 km from Junagadh and 25 km from Chorwad is the temple of Somnath, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The legend says, Somnath was built by none other than the Moon God himself at the time of creation. The remains of the temple "braved the shocks of time and survived the attacks of destroyers."

Dwarkadhish Temple
Dwarka is one of four most holy pilgrimage sites (Chardham) of Hindu faith and is associated with Lord Krishna's life. Located on the western most tip of Saurastra (Gujarat), this giant ornate shrine is one of the most imposing five-storied structures of Hindu architecture in Gujarat on the confluence of river Gomti and Arabian sea. According to the epic Mahabharata, the city in due course was submerged by the sea. It is held in such a high esteem as a place of Hindu pilgrimage that it is considered to be one of the four principal holy places or chardham, it is also known as Mokshapuri.

Also known as Jagat Mandir, the five-storey structure of the Dwarkadhish Temple is built on seventy-two pillars. The temple spire is 78.3m high. From the temple dome waves an eighty-four foot long multicolored flag decorated with the symbols of the sun and moon. Lord Krishna's grandson, Vajranabha, is said to have built the original temple of Dwarkadhish over the hari-griha (Lord Krishna's residential place).

Akshardham Temple
One important feature of the Akshardham Temple is that it educates and entertains at the same time. The construction of the impressive temples owes its credit to the hundreds of thousands of volunteers of the Shri Akshar Purushottam Sanstha. The temple was built to commemorate the birth bicentenary of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Built in pink sandstone, the temple brilliantly puts together the values of art, education and creativity.

The temple complex spreads over an area of 23 acres. Apart from the traditional architecture, the temple complex also holds a number of modern hitech exhibitions. Within a span of 5 years, 13 million people have visited the temple and today it is considered as one of the marvels of the 20th century. In a nutshell, the Akshardham Temple is a wonderful celebration of India’s glorious heritage.