Somnath & Dwarka Yatra in Gujarat

Highlights & Route

The western tip of Saurashtra holds two of Hinduism’s great pilgrim centres a few hours apart. Dwarka is Lord Krishna’s capital, a Char Dham of the all-India circuit, where the Dwarkadhish temple rises above the Gomti creek on a five-storey spire. Somnath, on the shore of the Arabian Sea, is the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, rebuilt many times and most recently after Independence, so that the temple today is both ancient in tradition and new in stone. Between them lie Nageshwar, another Jyotirlinga, the island shrine of Bet Dwarka, and Porbandar, birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and of Krishna’s friend Sudama.

This five-day package starts and ends at Rajkot, the nearest city with good air and rail links, and gives two nights each at Dwarka and Somnath so that no darshan has to be rushed. At Dwarka you have time for the morning mangla aarti, the drive to Bet Dwarka across the new Sudarshan Setu bridge, Nageshwar, Gopi Talav and the Rukmini temple. At Somnath the plan covers the Jyotirlinga, Bhalka Tirth where Krishna was struck by the hunter’s arrow, the Triveni Sangam, Geeta Mandir and the evening sound-and-light show on the temple lawns.

Both temples are open all year. October to March is pleasant on this coast, with cool evenings; April to June is hot and humid, and the monsoon months bring heavy rain and rough seas. Janmashtami at Dwarka and Mahashivratri and Kartik Purnima at Somnath draw the largest crowds and need hotels booked well ahead.

Route

Rajkot → Jamnagar bypass → Dwarka → Bet Dwarka (via Okha and Sudarshan Setu) → Nageshwar Jyotirlinga → Gopi Talav → Rukmini Devi temple → Dwarka → Porbandar (Kirti Mandir, Sudama temple) → Somnath → Bhalka Tirth → Triveni Sangam → Geeta Mandir → Somnath → Rajkot

Good to know before you book

• Rajkot to Dwarka is about 225 km (four and a half to five hours); Dwarka to Somnath via Porbandar is roughly 235 km (five to six hours); Somnath back to Rajkot is around 190 km (four hours).
• Bet Dwarka is now reached by road over the Sudarshan Setu, India’s longest cable-stayed bridge, opened in February 2024 between Okha and the island; the old ferry crossing is no longer needed.
• Dwarkadhish temple closes in the afternoon between the morning and evening darshan sessions; we plan visits for the open hours. Phones and cameras are not allowed inside.
• At Somnath, darshan runs from early morning to late evening with aartis at about 7 am, 12 noon and 7 pm; phones and bags must be left in the cloakroom outside.
• The Somnath sound-and-light show is held after the evening aarti and is ticketed; it may be cancelled in heavy rain.
• Somnath’s own station is Veraval; Rajkot, Jamnagar and Porbandar have airports if you prefer a different start or end point.