Suraj Mandir (Solanki Sun Temple)

Tucked into the old quarter of Prabhas Patan, a short walk north of Triveni Ghat, the Suraj Mandir — the Sun Temple of Somnath — is one of the town's quietest and most atmospheric antiquities.

• While the great seaside Jyotirlinga draws the crowds, this weathered shrine to Surya, the sun god, stands almost forgotten among narrow lanes, its honey-coloured stone softened by centuries of salt air.
• Believed to belong to the Solanki (Chaulukya) period, the temple survives as a partly ruined but deeply evocative example of the region's medieval architecture, and it rewards travellers willing to wander a little off the pilgrim track.
• What remains is remarkable for its carving.
• The outer walls are banded with friezes of marching elephants, striding lions, and rows of small deities and celestial figures — the kind of sculptural storytelling that defined Solanki-era temple building across Gujarat.
• Though weathered and in places broken, the reliefs still show a confident hand in the elephants' trunks, the lions' manes, and the poised divine figures set into niches.
• A modest sanctum retains an image of Surya, and simple worship continues here, giving the ruin a lived-in warmth rather than a museum stillness.
• The setting adds to its appeal.
• Prabhas is one of Hinduism's revered tirths, tied in tradition to Krishna's final journey, and the Sun Temple sits within this ancient sacred landscape alongside Triveni Ghat, where the Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati rivers are believed to meet the sea.
• Entry is free and the site is rarely busy, making it an easy, contemplative add-on to a Somnath itinerary — best in the soft light of early morning or late afternoon, when the low sun rakes across the carvings.
• Dress modestly, remove footwear near the sanctum, and treat the fragile stonework gently.
• For meals, stay within the pilgrim belt around the Somnath temple, a short auto-ride away, where pure-vegetarian Gujarati and Kathiyawadi thali houses serve unlimited platters of rotli, shaak, dal, kadhi, rice and farsan.
• Temple-trust and traveller-favourite bhojanalayas near the main gate offer simple sattvic thalis and prasad-style meals, while small eateries along the approach road do fresh khichdi, dhokla, and fafda-jalebi with hot masala chai.
• As across Gujarat, alcohol is prohibited and vegetarian food is the effortless default, so pilgrims and day-trippers can eat well and cheaply without a second thought.