Reportedly, Prime Minister Modi will visit the Somnath Temple on January 11 to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of the first attack on the shrine, which he called on Monday as a symbol of India’s enduring spirit. Plans are on the cards for year-long activities at the temple as part of the “Somnath Swabhiman Parv”.
Taking to his X post
PM Modi voiced that 2026 marks 1,000 years since the first attack on Somnath took place. Regardless subsequent repeated attacks, Somnath stands tall! It’s because Somnath’s story is on the unbreakable courage of countless children of Bharat Mata who protected our culture and civilisation.
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The Prime Minister also wrote an op-ed on the subject, calling the temple a manifestation of Indian civilisation’s “indomitable spirit” and saying that the same resilience was visible in today’s India. Adding that the world is seeing India with hope and optimism. They want to invest in our innovative youngsters. Our art, culture, music and several festivals are going global. Yoga and Ayurveda are making a worldwide impact, boosting healthy living. Solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges are coming from India.
The temple is located at Prabhas Patan along Gujarat’s western coast. Referring to the Dwadasha Jyotirling Stotram, which mentions the 12 Jyotirlings across India, PM Modi pointed out that the hymn underlines Somnath’s civilisational and spiritual importance as the first Jyotirling.
Quoting another Sanskrit verse, the Prime Minister said it signifies that merely having a darshan of the Somnath Shivling frees a person from sins, fulfils righteous desires and grants salvation.
On recalling that Mahmud of Ghazni had plundered the temple in January 1026, PM said it still stands “as glorious as ever” due to sustained efforts at restoration. After Independence, the duty of rebuilding the temple fell into the hands of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The Prime Minister further went on to say that 2026 will mark 75 years since the restored temple was opened to devotees on May 11, 1951, in the presence of then President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
Showcasing the temple’s historical significance, the Prime Minister said its coastal location strengthened a society with economic prowess, whose traders carried tales of its grandeur far and wide. PM Modi also paid tributes to renowned figures such as Ahilyabai Holkar, Swami Vivekananda, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and K.M. Munshi for their immense contributions.
PM Modi also voiced that the great Sardar Sahib is not alive to see this historic day, but the fulfilment of his dream stood tall before the nation. The then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was not too enthused with this development. He did not want the Honourable President as well as Ministers to associate with this special event as this event created a bad impression of India.
However, Dr. Rajendra Prasad stood firm, and the rest is history.
The Prime Minister also said that in the 1890s, Swami Vivekananda visited Somnath, and during a lecture in Chennai in 1897, he said some old temples of Southern India and those like Somnath “will teach volumes of wisdom. Those temples faced many assaults over the generations and were rebuilt again and again, and that was the national mindset and life-current.
Follow it, and it leads to glory. Give it up, and you die; death will be the only result, annihilation, the only effect, the moment you step beyond that life current,” said Swami Vivekananda, as mentioned by PM Modi in the op-ed. He added that centuries ago, Kalikal Sarvagna Hemchandracharya, a respected Jain monk, had also visited the Somnath Temple.
News Edit KV Raman
