Somnath

This was another of those trips that came together around an important date. My birthday was approaching, and as with New Year and other important calendar days, I liked the idea of spending it away from home. This time the destination was Somnath, because of the Jyotirlinga.

We flew from Delhi to Ahmedabad on 14 March 2014. The flight arrived around 6 in the evening, and there was very little time before our overnight sleeper bus to Somnath. The bus had been booked through RedBus; at that point we knew little more than the boarding point. We went straight there, had some food before boarding, and found ourselves waiting at what felt like a rather deserted spot, with just one shop and not many passengers around.

The sleeper bus made the overnight journey surprisingly easy. Most of the time was spent sleeping, and we reached Somnath early the next morning, around 7. It was a cold morning. We had not booked a hotel, so I asked the auto driver to take us around to a few places before we finally settled into Hotel Ambar.

Why Somnath

The main reason for coming to Somnath was, of course, the Somnath Jyotirlinga.

Somnath is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines traditionally associated with Shiva, and the temple stands on the western coast of Gujarat near the Arabian Sea. The site has a long and complex history, with the temple having been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The present temple is part of a modern reconstruction that deliberately evokes the architectural traditions associated with the historic shrine.

I wasn’t coming to Somnath to study that history. I was coming because I wanted to be there. But knowing a little about the place made standing in front of the temple feel different from simply visiting another temple on a sightseeing list.

We visited the temple in the evening and also visited a few local temples and places nearby. At one of the nearby temples we were able to do Rudrabhishekam, which was not allowed at Somnath itself.

Somnath itself felt beautifully calm. It was a full moon night, and there was something very peaceful about being there under that moon after the long journey from Delhi.

Bhalka Tirth and the story of Krishna

We also visited the spot associated with the belief that Lord Krishna left the earthly world after being struck by an arrow.

This is Bhalka Tirth, near Prabhas Patan. According to the traditional account, Krishna was mistaken for a deer by the hunter Jara and was struck by an arrow; the episode is associated with Krishna’s departure from earthly life.

For us, it was one of the smaller stops around Somnath rather than the main reason for the journey. But places like this add context to a pilgrimage. The region isn’t defined by the Somnath temple alone; it is surrounded by sites connected to stories that have been part of Indian religious tradition for centuries.

When the trip went wrong

Unfortunately, the food did not suit Pragati and she fell sick.

By the time we were leaving Somnath, I was roaming around looking for a pharmacy to get medicines for her. It was Holi that day and most shops were closed. Luckily, I managed to find one that was open.

That small episode is one of those reminders that travel is never only about beautiful places. Sometimes the strongest memory is simply trying to solve a practical problem in an unfamiliar town.

On the night of 16 March we boarded the sleeper bus back to Ahmedabad. Again, it was an overnight journey and we reached Ahmedabad the next morning.

An unplanned Ahmedabad day

Since Pragati was still not feeling well, the pace was slow. I went out on my own to visit Adalaj Vav, something I had found by Googling at the last moment. It had not been part of the original plan, but it gave me some time to walk around and take photographs.

Adalaj Vav is a stepwell north of Ahmedabad, built in the fifteenth century. Stepwells were not simply water-storage structures; they were carefully designed spaces in which engineering, architecture and social life came together. Adalaj’s descending levels, carved columns and changing light make it particularly memorable for photography.

I had discovered it almost by accident, and that made the visit even more enjoyable. There was no expectation attached to it. I simply found something interesting and went to see it.

We also visited Sabarmati Ashram, where I spent time going through the different places in the museum.

Sabarmati Ashram is closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi and his years in Ahmedabad. The site has become an important place for understanding the independence movement and Gandhi’s philosophy. For me, the visit was less about ticking another famous Ahmedabad landmark and more about taking time to go through the exhibits and absorb the history.

Ahmedabad had now become more than just the place through which we were travelling because of the flights. It had become part of the birthday trip itself.

A very quiet birthday

My birthday was actually celebrated in Ahmedabad.

There wasn’t much of a celebration — just a simple dinner at a restaurant in the Holiday Inn where we were staying. Pragati wasn’t feeling like eating, so I went down alone for dinner.

While there, I noticed Parthiv Patel, the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman, also having dinner. I didn’t want to disturb him while he was eating, so I waited until he had finished and then politely asked him for a selfie.

He obliged.

It was an unexpected little addition to a birthday that had otherwise been deliberately simple.

The next day, 18 March, we flew back to Delhi.

Looking back

Somnath was never a long holiday. It was a short birthday journey built around a place of religious significance, and much of it happened through simple decisions made along the way.

There were two overnight sleeper-bus journeys, a full-moon evening at Somnath, the quiet of the temple, the story associated with Bhalka Tirth, Pragati falling sick, an emergency search for a pharmacy during Holi, an unplanned photographic visit to Adalaj Vav, Sabarmati Ashram and an unexpected meeting over dinner in Ahmedabad.

In the end, Ahmedabad became as much a part of the memory as Somnath itself.

That is something I have noticed repeatedly in our travels. The destination may be the reason you leave home, but the memories are often created by everything that happens around it.