PM Modi offers Pooja at Somnath Temple (Imgae - Internet)
Somnath: On the occasion of Somnath Amrit Mahotsav, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday offered special prayers and Jalabhisheka in Somnath Temple in Gujarat.
Earlier PM Modi held a roadshow in Somnath, ahead of the Somnath Amrit Mahotsav, marking 75 years since the inauguration of the restored Somnath Temple.
The Somnath Temple restoration was inaugurated by Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India.
PM Modi offered prayers at the Somnath Temple—one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
After conducting a roadshow in Gir Somnath, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Somnath Temple, where he performed the Kumbhabhishek and offered prayers.
PM Modi paid tribute to the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi were also with PM Modi.
Somnath Temple: A Backgrounder
Somnath Temple also stands as a rare confluence of Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions, reflecting the deeply pluralistic and inclusive spirit that has long defined India’s civilisational heritage.
The modern chapter of Somnath’s journey in independent India began on November 12, 1947, just months after the traumatic Partition, when India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, visited this sacred site. Accompanied by senior national leaders, Sardar Patel made a historic resolve to rebuild the temple, laying the foundation for a national movement rooted in cultural resurgence and collective memory.
What followed was the creation of an institutional framework that transformed the reconstruction of Somnath into far more than the restoration of a shrine. It emerged as a symbol of India’s civilisational continuity and was envisioned as a centre of cultural and intellectual awakening.
The Consecration Ceremony
The consecration ceremony held in the early hours of May 11, 1951, in the distinguished presence of the then President Dr Rajendra Prasad, reaffirmed the nation’s shared cultural consciousness and enduring historical legacy.
