A three storey temple on Mandhata Island, reached by a long flight of steps cut into the hill, built around a six foot black stone linga.
Gauri Somnath Temple, also called Gauri Siddhanath, stands on Mandhata Island about 0.6 km from the bus stand. It is reached by a long flight of steps cut into the hill facing west of the bridge; once across the bridge the steps lie a little to the left. In design and artwork it is often compared with the Khajuraho temples. The shrine is dedicated to Shiva and holds a six foot linga of black stone, with images of Parvati and Shiva set behind it. The temple is built in the Bhumij style on a star shaped plan, rises through three storeys, and is traditionally described as shaped like a peahen. Legend holds that the linga was originally white stone and that anyone who gazed into it saw the image of his next birth; Aurangzeb, so gazing, is said to have been shown a pig, and in anger threw the linga into a fire, which turned it black.
The linga is six feet tall and black, and the story attached to it is the one every guide on the island will tell. Images of Parvati and Shiva stand behind it.
The temple is built in the Bhumij manner on a star shaped plan and rises through three storeys. The projecting and receding angles of the plan are easiest to read from the terrace level rather than from the entrance.
The design and artwork invite comparison with the temples at Khajuraho. Look along the wall faces rather than only at the doorway, where the figure work is concentrated.
The approach is a long stair cut into the hill, so this is the most physically demanding of the island temples. Allow for the climb and the descent separately.
November to February is the comfortable window for the climb. In the monsoon the cut steps become slippery and need care. In summer, do the stairs at first light and keep water with you. The temple is busiest on Mondays and through Shravan.
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