PM Modi offers prayers, participates in Omkar Mantra chanting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday celebrated the Somnath Temple’s 1000th anniversary since the attack in 1026. He offered prayers at the temple, which is revered as the first among the 12 Aadi Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and holds an important place in the spiritual heritage of India. Prime Minister Modi arrived at Somnath Temple to attend Somnath Swabhiman Parv held from January 8 to 11. He also participated in the 72-hour-long ‘Aum’ chants at the revered temple.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he felt “blessed” to be at Somnath and called it a proud symbol of our civilizational prowess. “I feel lucky to be at Somnath, a proud symbol of our civilizational prowess. This visit took place during #SomnathSwabhimanParv, when the entire nation comes together to celebrate the millennium of the first attack on the Somnath Temple in 1026. We are grateful to the people for the warm weather.” Welcome,” PM Modi wrote.

“Jai Somnath! The welcome today was very special,” PM Modi said in another post on X.

At around 9:45 am on January 11, the Prime Minister will take part in the Shaurya Yatra, a procession to honor the countless warriors who sacrificed their lives defending the Somnath Temple. The procession will include a symbolic march of 108 horses representing courage and sacrifice. Later, around 10:15 am, the Prime Minister will perform darshan and pooja at Somnath Temple. He will attend and speak at a public event in Somnath around 11 am. Held from January 8 to January 11, 2026, Somnath Swabhiman Parv celebrates the 1000th anniversary of Mahmud of Ghazni’s first attack on the Somnath Temple in 1026.

The attack marked the beginning of a long period in which the temple was destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly over the centuries. Despite this, Somnath never ceased to exist in the collective consciousness of people. The temple’s cycle of destruction and revival is unprecedented in world history. This shows that Somnath is not just a stone structure; He showed that he was a living example of faith, identity and civilizational pride.

Somnath remains the center of active worship. The number of annual visitors remains consistently high, ranging between 92 to 97 lakh devotees (around 98 lakh pilgrims visited the temple in 2020). While rituals like Bilva Pooja attracted more than 13.77 lakh devotees, Maha Shivratri 2025 witnessed 3.56 lakh devotees. On Kartak Sud 1 Diwali day on 12 November 1947, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel visited the ruins of Somnath and expressed his determination to rebuild the temple, viewing its restoration as necessary to revive India’s cultural confidence. The reconstruction, carried out with public participation, resulted in the consecration of the present temple on 11 May 1951 in the presence of the then President Rajendra Prasad. This year marks 75 years since the historic 1951 ceremony that reaffirmed India’s civilized self-esteem. Revered as the first among the 12 Aadi Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, the Somnath Temple complex stands majestically across the Arabian Sea and is crowned with a 150-foot shikhar symbolizing enduring faith and national resolve.

(With inputs from ANI)