In Gujarat, there is
a temple and a holy location (tirtha).
The temple is called after the temple's principal deity, the
god Shiva as the "Lord of the Moon." The Somnath linga is one of the
twelve jyotirlingas, a network of sites deemed especially sacred to Shiva and
at which he is uniquely present.
Shiva is present at Somnath in the form of a linga, the pillar-shaped
image that is his symbolic form, and the Somnath linga is one of the twelve
jyotirlingas, a network of sites deemed especially sacred to Shiva According to
the site's founding story, the moon is married to all twenty-seven nakshatras,
or signs in the lunar zodiac, but he is so devoted to Rohini nakshatra that he
neglects his other twenty-six wives.
His father-in-father-in-father-in- law's law's Daksha
complains to the moon, but when he refuses to grant them equal time, Daksha
curses him with the loss of all his light.
The moon overcomes the curse by worshiping Shiva for six
months in a straight at Somnath, and is granted the benefit that he would only
decrease half of the lunar month and increase the other half.
As a token of his gratitude, Shiva takes up residence as
Somnath and stays there to this day.
Aside from its religious significance, the Somnath temple is
a powerful political symbol.
In 1024, Mahmud of Ghazni demolished and pillaged the old
temple, bringing with him a staggering amount of loot.
The current temple at Somnath was constructed after India's
independence in 1947 and dedicated in 1951.
Somnath is consequently identified as a symbol of previous
tyranny and devastation, as well as the revival of Hindu culture in India.
For this reason, the Somnath temple is a famous symbol among
Hindutva supporters.
Hindutva is a concept that links Hindu identity to Indian
citizenship.
