Previous Year Question
The Prime Minister recently inaugurated the new Circuit House near Somnath Temple at Veraval. Which of the following statements are correct regarding Somnath Temple?
Somnath Temple is one of the Jyotirlinga shrines.
A description of Somnath Temple was given by Al-Biruni.
Pran Pratishtha of Somnath Temple (installation of the present day temple) was done by President S. Radhakrishnan.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is correct. Somnath Temple is situated at Prabhas Patan near Veraval on the coast of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. It is regarded as the first among the twelve Aadi Jyotirlingas of India.
Statement 2 is correct. The Persian scholar Al-Biruni gave a detailed description of Somnath Temple. His account is an important literary source for the history of medieval Somnath.
Statement 3 is incorrect. The Pran-Pratishtha of the existing Somnath Temple was performed on 11 May 1951 by the then President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, and not by President S. Radhakrishnan. Earlier, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had resolved to reconstruct the temple after visiting its ruins on 13 November 1947. The present temple was constructed in the Kailash Mahameru Prasad architectural style.