Last Updated on January 11, 2026 12:08 am by INDIAN AWAAZ
AMN / NEWS DESK
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today participated in the Somnath Swabhiman Parv’ being celebrated at Prabhas Patan in Gujarat, to celebrate India’s resilience.
PM reached Somnath on a three-day visit to Gujarat this evening and took part in the ‘Omkar Jap’ at the temple premises. Following the prayers, a breathtaking drone show is being held over the skies of Prabhas Patan.
Tomorrow, the Prime Minister is scheduled to witness Shorya Yatra and offer prayers to Somnath Mahadev. He will then travel to Rajkot to inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference.
Somnath, located at Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Gujarat, occupies a unique place in the country’s spiritual landscape. It appears at the very beginning of the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, underscoring its status as the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. For centuries, Somnath has drawn millions of devotees and stood as a cultural landmark reflecting India’s civilisational continuity.
The Parv coincides with another important anniversary: seventy-five years since the reopening of the rebuilt Somnath Temple in May 1951, after Independence. That reconstruction was initiated by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who visited the ruins on 12 November 1947 and declared that rebuilding the temple was essential to rebuilding the nation’s cultural confidence. The present structure, built in the Kailash Mahameru Prasad architectural style, was consecrated on 11 May 1951 in the presence of then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. In 2001, the fiftieth anniversary of the reopening was marked by a commemorative event attended by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani and then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
The Somnath Swabhiman Parv seeks to weave together these two timelines—the millennium since the first attack and the seventy-five years since restoration. Over four days, Somnath has been transformed into a space for spiritual discourse, cultural expression and national remembrance. One of the central activities is a 72-hour Akhand Omkar chanting, symbolising spiritual continuity and collective devotion. Devotional music, discourses and cultural programmes are being organised across the temple town.