Modi's three-day Gujarat visit from January 10 includes Somnath darshan, hosting German Chancellor

Ahmedabad, Jan 7 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a three-day visit to Gujarat beginning January 10, during which he will offer prayers at the historic Somnath temple and hold discussions with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on bilateral cooperation in Gandhinagar, officials said.

One of the highlights of the visit will be Modi leading the ‘Shaurya Yatra’, a one-kilometre-long roadshow led by 108 horses, as part of the ‘Somnath Swabhiman Parv’.

Modi is also scheduled to inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Rajkot.

"Modi will reach the Somnath temple near Veraval on the evening of January 10 as part of the 'Somnath Swabhiman Parv',” state minister and government spokesperson Jitu Vaghani said on Wednesday.

The Swabhiman Parv is being celebrated to mark the resilience of Indian civilisation, symbolised by the rebuilding of the Somnath temple, which was repeatedly ravaged by foreign invaders beginning with Mahmud of Ghazni’s attack nearly 1,000 years ago. Year-long celebrations are being organised at the Lord Shiva temple located on the Arabian Sea coast in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region.

"After his arrival in Somnath, the prime minister will attend a drone show at the temple premises and chair a meeting of the Shree Somnath Trust in his capacity as its chairman," Vaghani told reporters.

On January 11, Modi will offer prayers at the temple, garland the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel near the shrine, and lead the grand ‘Shaurya Yatra’ featuring 108 horses to the venue of his public address in the afternoon.

Following the event, he will travel to Rajkot to inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) for the Kutch and Saurashtra regions, an official said.

This two-day conference focusing on the Kutch and Saurashtra region will be held between January 11 and 12 on the campus of Marwadi University to highlight the emerging economic, industrial and cultural opportunities in the two regions.

Later on January 11, Modi will visit the Sabarmati Ashram, which is currently undergoing major renovation and expansion.

On the morning of January 12, Modi will receive German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad. The two leaders will jointly visit the Sabarmati Ashram, where Mahatma Gandhi lived during the freedom struggle, and participate in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront.

The prime minister will then travel by metro from the Old High Court station in Ahmedabad to Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar to mark the inauguration of a newly built metro stretch from Sachivalaya to Mahatma Mandir, said the official.

In the evening, Modi and Merz will hold delegation-level talks at Mahatma Mandir, followed by a joint press statement.

The MEA had said PM Modi and Chancellor Merz will also engage with business and industry leaders and exchange views on issues of regional and global importance on January 12. PTI PJT PD NSK