Gujarat is a state famous for its vibrant culture, textile industries, diverse landscape and The Great Rann of Kutch. Although these are the reasons why tourists prefer travelling to Gujarat, the Temples there are also a strong motive behind choosing Gujarat as a place to travel. Gujarat is home to various magnificent temples that hold centuries-old stories. From the heights of Girnar to the shores of Dwarka, these temples are not only visited for their devotional presence but also a part of their architectural beauty. These temples are not only visited for devotional presence but also the centuries of faith and belief they hold in their premise. Let’s take you on a ride to the top 10 temples that are famous and most visited in Gujarat. The top 10 temples in Gujarat are as follows:
Somnath Temple
Somnath Temple happens to be the most popular temple in Gujarat. The temple is situated in the Saurashtra region of the state and specifically at the Prabhas Patan of Gujarat where the temple of Somnath is situated. It is referred to as the abode of Lord Shiva as the moon god, Lord Somdev, had been keen on meditation and in the process shown to Lord Shiva his awesomeness, and therefore was delivered from the curse that was given to him by his father-in-law who got angry because Somdev was not treating all of his daughters the same and always treated the eldest one Rohini only. They all were married to Somdev. There are various legends that are associated with the Somnath Temple.
These legendary stories are from centuries that were present before the Christian Era. When you visit Somnath Mandir in Gujarat, it is going to be an absolutely beautiful sight to exhibit as this temple has been destroyed and reconstructed seven times.
Location: Somnath Mandir Rd, Veraval, Gujarat, India
Darshan Timings– 6 am-10 pm.
Aarti Timings– 7am, 12pm and 7pm.
Light and Sound Show– The show “Jay Somnath” timings are 8 pm-9 pm. This show is suspended during the Monsoon Season.
How to reach: The nearest airport to the temple is Keshod Airport (55 km) and the Nearest railway station is the Veraval railway station (7 km)
Dwarkadhish Mandir
The Dwarkadhish Temple, located in the Gujarat of India, is a well-known tourist attraction. The temple is dedicated to the respected Lord Krishna. The Dwarkadhish Mandir is a five-storied temple that was said to be built by the great-grandson of Shri Krishna. The temple on one side of the hilly sides, spreads down to the groves and gardens, and a flight of 50 steps to reach the seashore, where people can take a dip. The holy shrine of the temple is one of the Char Dhams throughout India. The other name of the Dwarkadhish Temple is “Jagat Mandir” and many people call it “Trilok Sundar Mandir”. The Dwarkadhish temple has two gates through which the devotees can enter the temples.
Location: Dwarka, Gujarat, India
Darshan Timings: Morning- 6:30 am to 1 pm
Evening- 5 pm to 9:30 pm
Aarti Timings:
| Timings | Arti |
| Morning | 6.30am |
| Mangla Arti | 7.00am to 8.00am |
| Mangla Darshan | 8.00am to 9.00am |
| Abhishek Pooja [Snan Vidhi]: Darshan Closed | 9.00am to 9.30am |
| Shringar Darshan | 9.30am to 9.45am |
| Snan bhog : Darshan Closed | 9.45am to 10.15am |
| Shringar Darshan | 10.15am to 10.30am |
| Shringar Bhog: Darshan Closed | 10.30am to 10.45am |
| Shringar Arti | 11.05am to 11.20am |
| Gwal Bhog: Darshan Closed | 11.20am to 12.00pm |
| Darshan | 12.00pm to 12.20pm |
| Rajbhog: Darshan Closed | 12.20pm to 13:00 pm |
| Anosar, Darshan Closed | 13:00 pm |
| First Uthappan and darshan | 5 pm |
| Uthappan Bhog: Darshan Closed | 5.30pm to 5.45pm |
| Darshan | 5.45pm to 7.15pm |
| Sandhya Bhog: Darshan Closed | 7.15pm to 7.30pm |
| Sandhya Arti | 7.30pm to 7.45pm |
| Darshan Closed for Shya bhog | 8.00pm to 8.10pm |
| Darshan allowed | 8.10pm to 8:30 pm |
| Shyan Aarti | 8:30 pm -8:35 pm |
| Bantabhog and Shayan : Darshan | 8:35 pm to 9 pm |
| Darshan closed | 9 pm to 9:20 pm |
| Darshan allowed | 9:20 pm to 9:30 pm |
| Mandir is closed for the day | 9:30 pm |
How to reach: The nearest airport is Jamnagar Airport(45 kms) and the nearest railway station is Dwarka and Jamnagar Railway Station(132 kms).
Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple
Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple is based in Gandhinagar Gujarat. It is one of the popular religious places in Gujarat enduring the devotion of Swami Narayan (1781-1830). The meaning of the term Akshardham is the heavenly abode of the gods. It is dedicated to culture and spirituality through meditation, learning, and associating with others. The Akshardham temple owns nearly 200 murtis of people who have played an essential part in the spiritual field. These are the popular shrines of Gujrat made out of pink sandstones that were brought from Rajasthan. Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple is famous for its glory of architecture. It is said to be standing on 97 carved pillars with 8 balconies, 17 domes along 220 stone beams, and 264 sculpted figures. The main idol of the mandir in Gujarat is a 7-foot tall, gold leaf-plated image or murti of Swaminarayan Ji.
Location: Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat, India.
Darshan Timings: Mondays closed.
Tuesday to Sunday- 10am to 7:30pm.
Aarti Timings– Morning- 10am
Evening- 6:30 pm
Exhibition timings: Ticket window open from 10am to 5:30 pm.
Abhishek Mandapam- Darshan and Pooja- 10 am to 7 pm.
Sat-chit-Anand Show: After Sunset, currently at 7:15pm.
How to reach: from Ahmedabad Railway Station you will take 45 mins to reach and is 32 kms away and the nearest Ahmedabad Airport is 21 kms and will take 30 mins.
Bala Hanuman Mandir
The Guinness World Record for continuous chanting of Ram’s mantra is a well-known feature of Bala Hanuman Mandir. The mantra “Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram” has been chanted since 1964. The Bala Hanuman Mandir in Gujarat has four main idols in its shrine. It is the Shrines of Laxman, Lord Ram, Devi Sita, and Lord Hanuman. The temple, which is situated in Jamnagar or Nawa Nagar, is also commonly known as the Spring Temple. The Bala Hanuman Temple in Gujarat is separated from the Lakhota Lake by a road. This lake gets flocked by migratory birds during the migratory season. There is also a Lakhota fort and museum in the middle of the island of the lake. Tourists can also make their trip even more enjoyable by indulging in boating.
Location: Southeast corner of Lakhota Lake, Jam Nagar, Gujarat, India.
Darshan Timings: Morning- 6 am to12 pm.
Evening- 4:30 pm to 10 pm.
Aarti Timings:
| Aarti/ Pooja Offerings | Timings |
| Mangla Aarti | 6 am |
| Shangar Darshan | 6:30 am |
| Mangala Aarti | 7 am |
| Raj Bhog | 12 pm |
| Utthapan | 4:30pm |
| Sandhya Aarti | 7pm |
| Sandhya Darshan | 10 pm |
How to Reach:
By Train: There are daily trains to Jamnagar from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, among other Gujarati cities.
By Air: accessible from Jamnagar Airport (9-10 kilometres from the city). Additionally, you can fly to Ahmedabad and then drive, take a bus, or take a train to Jamnagar.
Rukmini Mandir
Rukmini temple is the most crowded temple in Gujarat where devotees pay their homage to Shri Krishna’s canniest and first wife. In Dwarpa Yug Maa Rukmini is believed to be the manifestation of Mahalaxmi. It is believed that a Dwarka tour is not accomplished unless you visit Rukmini Mandir in Gujarat. This sanctuary is also known as the Dwarkeshwari Rukmini Maharani temple. The idol that is present in the main shrine is made up of white marble and is seen having four arms which have a shank, chakra, Padma (lotus) and a gada. The main offering done by the devotees here is not by prasad, the temple priests ask the devotees to offer water instead of sweets and other offerings. There is a legendary story behind the offering of water to Maa Rukmini. It is said that the location where the temple stands currently is 2 km away from Dwarka and Maa Rukmini had meditated here for 12 years to get rid of the curse given by Sage Durvasa.
Location: Dwarka, Gujarat, India.
Darshan Timings: Morning Timing -5 am to 12 pm
Evening Timing – 4 pm to 9 pm
Aarti Timings:
| Aarti/ Darshan Offerings | Timings |
| Mangala Aarti | 4:30 AM |
| Tulasi Aarti | 5:00 AM |
| Shringar Darshan Guru Pooja | 7:30 AM |
| Srimad Bhagavatam Class | 8:30 AM |
| Dhoop Aarti | 8:30 AM |
| Raj Bhoga Aarti | 12:30 PM |
| Utthapan Aarti | 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM |
| Sandhya Aarti | 7:00 PM to 7:20 PM |
| Narasimha Aarti | 7:20 PM |
| Bhagavad Gita Class | 7:30 PM |
How to Reach: The nearest airport is Jamnagar Airport(45 km) and the nearest railway station is Dwarka and Jamnagar Railway Station(132 km).
Sun Temple
Also known as the Surya Mandir, this temple is situated on the banks of river Pushpavati in Modhera close to the Mehsana district in Gujarat, India. It is a secure place for the worship of Hindu and Jain deities and the venue for several major annual festivals. The Sun Temple, or Surya Mandir in Gujarat, is dedicated to Lord Surya.
The main hypothesis, based on the architectural design of the temple, is that the temple belongs to the period before the Sokotra traditions. It is said that this temple was earlier accounted under the Patan region of Gujarat. However, now it is being considered as a part of the Mahesena region of Gujarat.
One of the architectural marvels in India, the Sun Temple is one of a few other elliptical solar temples. It was first built in the 19th century during the rule of Bhima I from the Chalukya Dynasty. According to the Archeological Survey of India, this complex is a protected national monument. It is considered that even the rains fall from their hands. Also, autumn is not seen while the springs are blooming.
The mandir was said to be built at an altitude of 23.6 degrees latitude which is near the Tropic of Cancer. Unlike earlier temples, this is a more ambitious attempt to be completely free-standing, to create a circular elegance by merging the squares through examples of spiral shapes. This kund is called the “Ramakunda or Suryakund”.
Location: Modhera village, Mehsana district, Gujarat.
Visiting Timings: 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM every day.
Entry Fees: INR 25 for Indian citizens,
INR 300 for foreign tourists
How to Reach:
By Road: Modhera Sun Temple is located 26 km from Mehsana, 83 km from Gandhinagar and 99 km from Ahmedabad.
By Train: Mehsana Junction is the nearest railway station and is just about 28 km from Modhera Sun Temple which takes approximately 40 minutes to reach there.
By Air: The airport at Ahmedabad is around 90 kms away and is, therefore, the closest to the place which is busy with multiple flights from other Indian cities.
Bhalka Tirth
this is a temple in Gujarat where Shree Krishna took his last breath. Bhalka Tirth is situated on the western coast in Veraval of Gujarat. As we all know that Bhalka Tirth temple is hardly at any distance to the Somnath temple which is the most worshipped and the main one of 12 jyotirlingas of India. According to the famous legends, the feet of Lord Krishna were so soft that it was this part of the body where the injury occurred.
It is also said that Krishna’s body was cremated and his ashes were spread across the Narmada River. There is more to the legendary story behind the death of Krishna. It is said that after the death of Shri Krishna, Dwapar Yug came to an end and Kali Yuga started right after. Bhalka Tirth was occupied during the Indus Valley civilization.
Location: Veraval, Gujarat, India.
Darshan Timings: 6 am to 10 pm
Aarti Timings: Morning Aarti: 7 am
Afternoon Aarti: 12 pm
Evening Aarti: 7 pm
How to Reach: Nearest airport to the temple is Keshod airport (55 km) and the Nearest railway station is the Veraval railway station (7 km).
Shri Shatrunjaya Temples
The Shri Shatrunjaya Temple is located in the hilly region of Gujrat. The meaning of the word “Shatrunjaya” means victory over enemies. There are many Jain temples built on top of Shri Shatrunjaya temple. There is a river named Shetrunji which can be seen from the top of the temple. There are almost 900 small and large temples. So this has led to the city of Palitana being called the “City of temples”. To get the exact location of this temple, you can see that they are in the city of Bhavnagar. This is 55 kms away from the city of Bhavnagar. The Jains consider this a sacred place where all the Jain Tirthankaras have visited except for Neminatha. They say that all the Jain saints except for Neminatha have visited and made this place sacred for visiting the temple sites.
Location: Shatrunjaya Hill, near the city of Palitana in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India.
Darshan Timings: 6 am to 6 pm
Aarti Timings: Aarti takes place twice a day.
Morning Aarti Time- 8 am
Evening Aarti Time- 5 pm and 6 pm
How to reach this place:
By Train: direct trains that run to this temple from several major cities.
By Air: The closest airport to the temple is Bhavnagar Airport, which is 60–65 kilometres away.
Jagannath Temple
Jagannath temple in Gujarat is dedicated to the other form of Lord Krishna from Dwapar Yug. Jagannath ji is the god of Kali Yug. This temple is very famous for its chariot festival commonly known as the Rath Yatra. This famous Rath Yatra festival coincides with the Rath Yatra festival in Puri. This is the third largest cart-pulling festival in India. There are a lot of ceremonies that are done before the pulling of the cart. The ceremony of cleaning is done by the king of Puri before the cart-pulling ceremony, so it is also done in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The CM of Gujarat steps in to clean the path of the cart pulling and then starts the famous cart-pulling festival. Many stories go back to the rebuilding of the temples. So when you visit this temple in Gujarat, make sure you definitely get to know the history of the temple and the reason behind the construction of the temple.
Location: Jamalpur Cross Road, Jamalpur, Ahmedabad – 380022
Darshan Timings: Morning– 4:30 am to 1 pm
Evening– 3 pm to 9 pm
Aarti and Bhog Timings:
| Timings of Bhog or Darshan | Darshan and Bhog types |
| 6 am | Mangala Aarti |
| 7 am | Balbhog |
| 11 am | Raj Bhoga |
| 1 pm | Talamangal |
| 3 pm | Uttapan Vidhi |
| 7:45 pm | Sandhaya Aarti |
| 8: 30 pm | Shayan Aarti |
| 9 pm | Sayan |
How to Reach:
By Road: Roads connect Ahmedabad to all of Gujarat’s major cities. Numerous buses, both public and private, run to the Jagannath Temple.
By Air: Ahmedabad has air connections to all of the world’s major cities. Flights from all over the world arrive at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
By Train: Ahmedabad is also connected by railway to Gujarat’s major cities. Trains from numerous cities arrive at Ahmedabad railway station. From Ahmedabad, a train travels to the Jagannath Temple.
Shamlaji Temple
Shamlaji Temple: It is one of the most visited temples in Gujarat which is located in the Aravalli district of Gujarat. This famous Gujarat temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the place was this as Lord Vishnu was worshipped at this particular place from the 11th century, but the structure of the temple says that it was built there from the 15-16th century. They say that the idol of lord Vishnu dates back from the 11th century. So if you ever think of visiting temples in Gujarat, then you should definitely visit this Shamlaji Temple and dip yourself in the immense divinity of the place.
Location: Shamlaji Temple, Aravalli District, Gujarat, India
Darshan and Aarti timings:
| Darshan and Aarti types | Timings for Darshan and Aarti |
| Temple Opening | 6 am |
| Morning Aarti | 6am |
| Shringar Aarti | 9:15 am |
| Closing of Temple for Raj Bhog | 11:30 to 12:15 pm |
| Raj Bhoga Aarti | 12:15 pm to 12: 30 pm |
| Temple Closing for Podhi Thakorji | 12: 30 pm to 2:15 pm |
| Temple Reopening | 2:15 pm |
| Evening Sandhaya Aarti | 6 pm |
| Shayan Aarti | 7:45 pm |
| Temple Closing (Mangala Aarti) | 8 pm |
How to reach here:
By Railways: You can travel to Ahmedabad’s Himmatnagar Railway Station on New Delhi Railway Line (56.4 kms from Shamlaji).
By Road: You can take a bus or travel by private cars or non-metered auto rickshaws. (125 kms from Shamlaji).
By Air: The airport here is again 125 kms away from Shamlaji and is well-connected to Indian and International cities.
This is a list of some of the famous temples in Gujarat that you can visit while travelling. These temples not only develop the spirituality within you but also help you witness the architectural beauty, mesmerising landscape and unrealistic magics that it carries. If you are someone who is into spirituality and like exploring the temples of India, then you should definitely visit Rajasthan.
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