Names & Legend
Each Shakti Peeth has its own remarkable history, and Prabhas is one of the most ancient. Here the Goddess is worshipped as Chandrabhaga. The name Prabhas means “radiance”, and the place is linked in the scriptures with the Moon god, who regained his lost glow here by worshipping Lord Shiva.
After Sati’s death at Daksha’s yagna, Lord Vishnu divided her body with the Sudarshan Chakra as Lord Shiva carried it in grief. At Prabhas, Sati’s stomach is believed to have fallen.
Location
The Shakti Peeth is at Prabhas Patan, beside the Arabian Sea in the Gir Somnath district of Gujarat, close to the town of Veraval. This is the same sacred town as the world-famous Somnath temple, so pilgrims can worship the Goddess and the Jyotirlinga on the same visit.
The Goddess & Bhairava
The Goddess is worshipped as Chandrabhaga, a name connected with the Moon (Chandra) – she is the one who shares in the Moon’s light. Lord Shiva as Bhairava is called Vakratunda, “the one with the curved staff”. Her shrine is near the Triveni Sangam, the meeting point of the Hiran, Kapila and the hidden Saraswati rivers before they enter the sea.
Sacred Prabhas
Prabhas is full of history. According to the Puranas, the Moon god (Soma) was cursed by Daksha to lose his light, and he was cured after worshipping Lord Shiva here – which is why Shiva is called Somnath, “the Lord of the Moon”. The Somnath temple, the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, was destroyed and rebuilt many times; the present temple was completed in 1951.
Prabhas is also where Lord Krishna ended his earthly life: at Bhalka Tirth he was struck by a hunter’s arrow, and at Dehotsarg near the Triveni he left his body. Pilgrims and visitors from all over India – including many well-known film personalities – come to Prabhas to pray.
Festivals & Worship
Navaratri is celebrated with garba and special pujas for the Goddess. The Kartik Purnima fair at Somnath, Maha Shivaratri and the month of Shravan draw huge crowds, and the evening aarti and sound-and-light show at Somnath by the sea are unforgettable.
How to Reach & When to Visit
The nearest railway stations are Somnath and Veraval, with trains from Ahmedabad and other cities. The nearest airports are Diu (about 85 km) and Rajkot. Good roads connect Prabhas with Junagadh, Dwarka and the Gir forest, home of the Asiatic lion. The best time to visit is from October to March.