During the Somnath Yatra, pilgrims can visit the holy shrines of both Lords Shiva and Vishnu in the north-western part of our country. All the shrines start with the Somnath Jyothirling Temple, the first of the twelve Jyothirlingas on the sea shore of Arabian Sea.
Pilgrims may visit the old Jyothirling temple near the new temple which was destroyed by the Mughal invaders and the Shiva Ling and other attractions at the sea shore.
Pilgrims can see the place where Lord Krishna passed away and the cave in which Balarama (Baladeva) entered and disappeared at Vareval at a distance of 5 km from Somanath. Afterwards, Pilgrims can visit Gangeshwar Mahadev Temple, about 80 km from Somnath, and travel to Bhavnagar to visit Nishkalanka Mahadev which is about 23 km away and return to Somnath.
Pilgrims can reach Dwarka from Somnath and visit Dwarkadesh and Bet Dwarka on the sea. They can visit Naganath, the 8th among the 12 Jyotirlingas from Dwarka, and reach Somnath. Pilgrims have to travel by road from Somnath to visit the Pancha Dwaraka Shrines Dakor, KanKroli and Nathdwara, except Dwarka and Bet Dwarka. Pilgrims have to travel from Somnath to Siddapur about 100 km from Ahmedabad and the embryo can be implanted at Matrugaya to those who have passed away.
Embryonic programs may perform at Gaya, Prayag Raj,Varanasi, Jajipur, Pada Gaya and Brahmakapal shrines for the patriarchal and maternal lineages for their salvation.
Matrugaya in Siddapur is the only place where the fetus can be placed to the maternal lineage. Pilgrims can reach their hometown from Ahmedabad after completing their activities at Matrugaya in Siddapur.
During the pilgrimage, pilgrims can visit Somnath, Nageswar, Niskalanka Mahadev and Gangeswar Mahadev Shiva temples as well as Pancha Dwaraka, the holy shrines of Lord Sri Krishna and Matrugaya. Medium and high class hotels are available in Ahmedabad, Somnath and Dwarka during the Pilgrimage. Pilgrims have to travel most of their journey by train. Nishkalanka Mahadev, Gangeswara Mahadev, Nagnath etc. temples have to be reached by road. The trip can cost up to Rs. 30,000/- per person.
