Somnath, January 11
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to participate in the Shaurya Yatra on Sunday, the second day of his Gujarat visit, as part of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv.
Earlier, the Prime Minister participated in the Omkar chanting and other events held as part of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, and will join the Shaurya Yatra at 9:45 am today.
The Shaurya Yatra is a ceremonial procession organised to honour the countless warriors who laid down their lives defending the Somnath Temple. The procession will feature a symbolic march of 108 horses, representing valour, bravery, and sacrifice.
After the procession, the Prime Minister will perform darshan and pooja at the Somnath Temple at around 10:15 am. At approximately 11 am, he will participate in and address a public function in Somnath.
Meanwhile, extensive preparations are underway for the Prime Minister's participation in the Shaurya Yatra. Artists and performers were seen rehearsing ahead of the symbolic procession organised as part of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv.
Sanjay Brahmbhatt of Brahmarshi Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya in Gujarat's Kheda said that approximately 350 students from the institution will participate in the Shaurya Yatra, playing the conch (shankh) and damru.
"We have come from Nadiad in Kheda district. We are from Brahmarshi Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, and Dahyabhai Shastri is with us, along with all his students. Around 350 students have come here, and all of us will take part in the Shaurya Yatra. Our children will play the conch (shankh) and damru, and we will lead the procession ahead of the horses," he told ANI.
A representative of Shri Narmada Sanskrit Ved Pathshala in Bharuch also confirmed the institution's participation in the Shaurya Yatra. He said that members of the Pathshala have come to play the damru and sound the conch to welcome the Prime Minister by chanting mantras.
"We have come from Bharuch. We are from Shri Narmada Sanskrit Ved Pathshala, Bharuch, and everyone here has come to play the damru and sound the conch. We want to welcome Modi ji with the chanting of mantras," he told ANI.
Somnath Swabhiman Parv, held from January 8 to January 11, 2026, marks the 1,000th anniversary of Mahmud of Ghazni's first attack on the Somnath Temple in 1026.
The attack marked the beginning of a long period during which the temple was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt over centuries. Despite this, Somnath never ceased to exist in the collective consciousness of the people. The cycle of the temple's devastation and revival is unparalleled in world history. It demonstrated that Somnath was never merely a stone structure, but a living embodiment of belief, identity, and civilisational pride.
On Kartak Sud 1, Diwali day, November 12, 1947, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel visited the ruins of Somnath and expressed his resolve to rebuild the temple, viewing its restoration as essential to reviving India's cultural confidence. The reconstruction, carried out with public participation, culminated in the consecration of the present temple on May 11, 1951, in the presence of then-President Rajendra Prasad.
In 2026, the nation marks 75 years since the historic 1951 ceremony, reaffirming India's civilisational self-respect. Revered as the first among the 12 Aadi Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, the Somnath Temple complex stands majestically along the Arabian Sea, crowned by a 150-foot shikhar, symbolising enduring faith and national resolve.
- ANI
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