The second temple in Somnath, built by the Yadava kings of Vallabhi in Gujarat, replaced the first one on the same site around 649 CE.
In 725 CE Junayad, the Arab governor of Sind, sent his armies to destroy the second temple. The Gurjara Pratihara king Nagabhatta II constructed the third temple in 815, a large structure of red sandstone.
In 1024, the temple was destroyed by invader Mahmud of Ghazni who raided the temple from across the Thar desert. The temple was rebuilt by the Gurjara Paramara KIng Bhoj of Malwa and the Solanki king Bhimadev I of Gujarat (present day Patan) between 1026 and 1042.
In 1296, the temple was once again destroyed by Sultan Allauddin Khilji's army. Nearly 50,000 people were killed and more than 20,000 people were enslaved.
The temple was rebuilt by Mahipala Deva, the Chudasama king of Saurashtra in 1308 and the Linga was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and 1351.In 1375, the temple was once again destroyed by Muzaffar Shah I, the Sultan of Gujarat
