Somnath Temple an immortal saga of India's self-respect, says Gujarat CM

Ahmedabad, Jan 5 (PTI) The Somnath Temple is not a story of destruction, it is the saga of India's self-respect that never bowed before falsehood, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said on Monday ahead of the 'Somnath Swabhiman Parv' beginning January 8.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join the Somnath Swabhiman Parv on January 11 to celebrate the resilience of the Indian civilisation, which rebuilt the temple in Gujarat that was ravaged repeatedly by foreign invaders.

The year-long celebrations are being planned at the Somnath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva on the Arabian Sea coast at Veraval in Gujarat's Saurashtra region.

Many spiritual and social activities will take place in Somnath from January 8 to 11, officials said.

"The saga of the Somnath Temple is not a story of destruction. It is the saga of the pride of crores of sons and daughters of Mother India that has been continuing for the past 1000 years. It is the immortal saga of India's self-respect that has never bowed before falsehood," Patel stated on X.

"Inspired by the honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, from 8 January to 11 January, under the 'Somnath Swabhiman Parv', a festival celebrating this eternal consciousness, faith, and national pride will be observed," he said.

He added that the festival will be an opportunity for everyone to "take a historic resolve towards establishing Mother India at the pinnacle of glory." In a blogpost to mark 1,000 years since the first attack on the Somnath Temple by Mahmud of Ghazni, the prime minister hailed the temple as a symbol of the indomitable spirit of Indian civilisation.

"There can be no better example of our civilisation's indomitable spirit than Somnath, which stands gloriously, overcoming odds and struggle," he said. PTI PJT PD NSK