Somnath Temple, Prabhas Patan, Gujarat
The first jyotirlinga stands at the edge of the Arabian Sea, and the waves have been breaking against it since before the temple was rebuilt the last time, and the time before that. Somnath has been destroyed and reconstructed at least six times, the current structure was consecrated in 1951, and that history of erasure and return is itself a form of devotion. During Sawan, the sanctum receives a continuous stream of abhishek with milk, honey, and Gangajal. The sea wind carries the sound of the conch into the courtyard before you reach the main entrance. Arrive before sunrise if you can bear the queue; the light off the water at that hour is something the afternoon cannot replicate.
