Prabhas Patan Museum

Prabhas Patan Museum is an archaeological museum located in Prabhas Patan near the Somnath Temple in Gir Somnath district, Gujarat. Established to preserve finds from excavations at Prabhas Patan, it displays stone sculptures, architectural fragments, pottery, inscriptions and antiquities ranging from the Chalcolithic period to the medieval era. The museum documents the settlement history and temple heritage of Prabhas Patan and is notable for its collection of remains from the historic Somnath Temple complex.

Visitors can expect a small, single-storey museum complex near the Somnath Temple displaying archaeological finds from Prabhas Patan excavations. Galleries contain stone sculptures of deities, carved architectural fragments, pillars, lintels, pottery, beads, coins and inscriptions arranged chronologically. The setting is quiet and educational, with outdoor display of large stone fragments and temple remains in the museum compound, suitable for viewing at a leisurely pace.

The museum preserves antiquities recovered from systematic excavations at Prabhas Patan conducted in the 1950s, which revealed a continuous cultural sequence from the Chalcolithic period through Harappan, Mauryan, Kshatrapa, Gupta and medieval periods. Its collection includes remains of earlier phases of the Somnath Temple, including carved stones, sculptures and architectural members that illustrate the temple's long construction and reconstruction history.

The museum is culturally significant as a repository of the heritage of Prabhas Patan, a major pilgrimage centre associated with the Somnath Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines. It helps visitors understand the artistic, religious and architectural traditions of the region through sculptures of Hindu deities and temple art.