On Maha Shivratri Sri Sri Ravi Shankar unveils remnants of lost Somnath Jyotirlinga, says it has unique...

Nearly a thousand years since its desecration by Mahmud of Ghazni, the sacred Somnath Jyotirlinga has been unveiled for the first time in Bengaluru on Mahashivratri 2025, under the guidance of spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. 

Fragments of Somnath Jyotirling unvieled 

The revered Somnath Jyotirling will be consecrated after almost a thousand years when Afghani Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni destroyed it after invading India in 1026 CE. Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar unveiled the Jyotirling on Mahashivratri in Bengaluru.  

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@gurudev)

Ravi Shankar has said that fragments of the original Somnath Jyotirlinga were preserved for all these centuries but believed to have been lost. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar shared a clip on his social media official handle regarding Mahmud of Ghazni’s invasion and the consequent destruction of the Somnath Jyotirling in Saurashtra which gave rise to the belief that it was lost forever. However, some fragments of the Jyotirling are now set to return to their “rightful home”. 

Preservation of Jyotirling 

The fragments which were left after the destruction of the Somnath temple were preserved for a thousand years by the devoted Agnihotri priests. They offered their daily prayers to the revered ling while making sure that the Jyotirling’s legacy lived on forever. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@gurudev)

The family asked for guidance a century ago, after which the Shankaracharya of Kanchi Peetham ordered, “Preserve it in secrecy, and after 100 years, entrust it to a saint in Karnataka named Shankara.”   

Unique magnetic properties 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar shared a clip on his official Instagram handle showcasing the lost remnants were presented to him by the priests in Bengaluru in January. The spiritual guru said that the revered Shivalingas showcase a unique magnetic field.  

He said that before their consecration at Somnath, these Jyotirlingas would be taken on a nationwide journey, allowing devotees across India—from Rameshwaram to all 12 Jyotirlingas—to seek blessings. 

Earlier in January, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had claimed that the fragments exhibit an unusual magnetic property very different from the usual magnetic stones, as their field is focused on the center even when the iron presence is very little.