Modi offers prayers at Somnath Temple, leads Shaurya Yatra

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (11) led the Shaurya Yatra, a ceremonial procession organised to honour those who laid down their lives defending the Somnath temple in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district.

The procession was held as part of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv. Modi also offered prayers at the historic temple and paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, whose statue has been installed near the temple premises.

The Shaurya Yatra featured a procession of 108 horses, symbolising valour and sacrifice. A large number of people and devotees gathered on both sides of the route from Shankh Circle to Veer Hamirji Gohil Circle to greet the prime minister.

Standing on a specially designed vehicle, Modi, accompanied by Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel, waved to the crowd during the one-kilometre-long yatra.

A group of young priests, known as rushi kumars, walked alongside the prime minister’s vehicle while playing damru, an instrument associated with Lord Shiva. At one point, Modi borrowed two damrus from a priest and played them while standing on his vehicle.

Artists from across the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, performed traditional dances on stages erected at regular intervals along the route.

The yatra concluded at Veer Hamirji Gohil Circle, from where the path to the Somnath temple begins. At the site, Modi offered floral tributes at the statue of Hamirji Gohil, who sacrificed his life while defending the Somnath temple against the incursion of the Delhi Sultanate’s army in 1299 AD.

Later, the prime minister paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Following Patel’s intervention, the Somnath temple underwent restoration after Independence and was formally opened to devotees in 1951.

Modi also offered prayers at the temple and participated in a puja amid Vedic chants led by the chief priest.

The Somnath Swabhiman Parv event commemorates the sacrifices made by countless Indians to defend the Somnath temple and marks 1,000 years since Mahmud of Ghazni’s invasion of the shrine in 1026.

Despite repeated attempts at its destruction over the centuries, the Somnath temple stands today as a symbol of resilience, faith and national pride, reflecting the collective resolve to restore it to its ancient glory, the PIB said in a statement.

(PTI)