Gauri Somnath Temple

Set among the medieval shrines that crowd the sacred Om-shaped island of Mandhata, the Gauri Somnath Temple is one of Omkareshwar's most quietly arresting stops.

• It is best known for its Shivalingam — an unusually tall column of polished black stone, said to rise roughly six feet, so smooth and dark that it catches and holds the temple's lamplight like a mirror.
• In a pilgrimage town defined by the great Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga on the island and its partner shrine Mamleshwar on the south bank, this temple offers something different: not the throng of the Jyotirlinga darshan but a stone-walled, dim-lit sanctum where the sheer scale of the lingam does the talking.
• By tradition, the temple is spoken of as an old foundation, and a much-repeated local legend holds that the glossy lingam once acted almost like a looking-glass, reflecting whoever gazed into it.
• Pilgrims also recount that the shrine was damaged in a turbulent medieval era before being revered again — stories passed down on the island rather than fixed dates, and best received as living tradition.
• What is beyond dispute is the temple's place in the rhythm of Omkareshwar worship: it sits along the routes walkers take on the island parikrama, the sacred circumambulation that threads together dozens of shrines above the Narmada.
• Reaching it is part of the pleasure.
• Visitors cross to Mandhata by the pedestrian footbridge or by the small boats that ferry pilgrims over the green Narmada, then climb through lanes of ghats, ashrams and older temples.
• Adi Shankara's associations with Omkareshwar — the Govindpada cave and, more recently, the towering Statue of Oneness on the mainland — give the whole circuit a philosophical weight, and Gauri Somnath rewards those who linger beyond the main shrine.
• Mornings and evenings, when the aarti bells drift across the water, are the most atmospheric; footwear is removed at the entrance and modest dress is expected.
• For food, the island and the town opposite are wholly geared to vegetarian pilgrims.
• Simple pure-veg bhojanalayas near the Jyotirlinga temple serve unlimited Nimari–Malwa thalis of dal, seasonal sabzi, roti and rice, while stalls along the parikrama path fry fresh poha and sabudana khichdi through the morning.
• Along the Narmada ghats in Omkareshwar town you will find more pure-veg thali houses and sweet shops, and temple prasad and refreshment stalls cluster near the Mandhata footbridge — all strictly vegetarian, in keeping with this river-pilgrimage centre.