UPSC Prelims 2022 Q96: Somnath Temple History — Explained
The Prime Minister recently inaugurated the new Circuit House near Somnath Temple at Veraval. Which of the following statements are correct regarding Somnath Temple?
1. Somnath Temple is one of the Jyotirlinga shrines.
2. A description of Somnath Temple was given by Al-Biruni.
3. Pran Pratishtha of Somnath Temple (installation of the present day temple) was done by President S. Radhakrishnan.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: correct — Somnath, at Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Gujarat, is a Shiva shrine and is counted as the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas. PIB's 2026 backgrounder on the Somnath Swabhiman Parv calls it the first among the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.
- 2: correct — Al-Biruni came to India with Mahmud of Ghazni, who raided Somnath in January 1026. He wrote about the temple in his Kitab-ul-Hind, finished around 1030. He explained the name (Soma, the moon, and natha, master). He also recorded that Mahmud broke the stone linga and carried parts of it to Ghazni.
- 3: incorrect — The present temple was consecrated on 11 May 1951 in the presence of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, India's first President. S. Radhakrishnan was Vice-President in 1951 and became President only in 1962. The statement names the wrong President.
How to eliminate
Statement 1 is basic knowledge: Somnath is the best-known Jyotirlinga. That rules out the option without 1, leaving '1 and 2', '1 and 3' and 'all three'. Statement 3 can be checked against a timeline. The rebuilding began with Sardar Patel's pledge in November 1947, and Patel died in 1950, so the consecration came soon after Independence. Rajendra Prasad was President from 1950 to 1962, and Radhakrishnan only after him, from 1962. A ceremony in the early 1950s therefore cannot have been led by President Radhakrishnan. For Statement 2, link Al-Biruni to Mahmud of Ghazni. He travelled with the Sultan whose 1026 raid made Somnath famous, so it is very likely he described it. Fact to remember: Pran Pratishtha on 11 May 1951, with President Rajendra Prasad present.
Know more
Somnath: one shrine, a thousand years of rebuilding
Somnath stands at Prabhas Patan, on the Saurashtra coast near Veraval, Gujarat. It is the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Its history of destruction and repeated rebuilding is a common UPSC theme.
| Period | Event |
|---|---|
| Jan 1026 | Mahmud of Ghazni raids and plunders the temple |
| c. 1030 | Al-Biruni describes it in Kitab-ul-Hind |
| 12th century | Solanki king Kumarapala revives the shrine (1169 CE Bhadrakali inscription) |
| 18th century | Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore builds the Old (Juna) Somnath temple nearby |
| 12 Nov 1947 | Sardar Patel pledges to rebuild the temple; K.M. Munshi drives the project |
| 11 May 1951 | Present temple consecrated in the presence of President Rajendra Prasad |
| 2021–22 | Promenade (PRASHAD scheme), Juna Somnath precinct and new Circuit House opened |
The present temple follows the Kailash Mahameru Prasad style, in the Chalukya (Solanki) tradition of Gujarat.
The twelve Jyotirlingas by state
| State | Jyotirlingas |
|---|---|
| Gujarat | Somnath, Nageshwar |
| Maharashtra | Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar, Grishneshwar |
| Madhya Pradesh | Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain), Omkareshwar |
| Uttarakhand | Kedarnath |
| Uttar Pradesh | Kashi Vishwanath |
| Andhra Pradesh | Mallikarjuna (Srisailam) |
| Jharkhand | Baidyanath (Deoghar) |
| Tamil Nadu | Rameswaram |
Al-Biruni (born 973, Khwarizm) came to Ghazni as a hostage and went with Mahmud on his Indian campaigns. He learned Sanskrit and wrote Kitab-ul-Hind in Arabic. The book covers religion, philosophy, astronomy and social customs. It is valued because he tried to understand Indian texts on their own terms.
In the news
On 21 January 2022 the Prime Minister inaugurated, by video conference, a new Circuit House near Somnath Temple. Months earlier, in August 2021, he opened the Somnath Promenade (built under PRASHAD) and the restored Old (Juna) Somnath precinct. This put Somnath's history in the news before the June 2022 Prelims.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Somnath temple: The basic facts about the temple and its location at Prabhas Patan, Saurashtra, underpin all three statements.
- Twelve Jyotirlingas: Statement 1 depends on which twelve Shiva shrines make up the Jyotirlinga list.
- Kitab-ul-Hind: Statement 2 depends on what Al-Biruni's Kitab-ul-Hind covered and when it was written.
- Mahmud of Ghazni: Mahmud's 1026 raid links Somnath to Al-Biruni and starts the temple's long cycle of rebuilding.