Gir Somnath (Gujarat)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday participated in the Vishesh Maha Puja organised as part of the 'Somnath Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations at the Somnath Temple in Gujarat.

The Vishesh Maha Puja was followed by the Kumbhabhishek and Dhvajarohan ceremonies, marking the consecration rituals and the hoisting of the temple flag.

Prime Minister Modi also witnessed an aerial performance by the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team during the Somnath Amrit Mahotsav celebrations at the temple, which is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi offered prayers at the Somnath Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, partaking in the Somnath Amrit Mahotsav, marking 75 years since the inauguration of the restored Somnath Temple by India's first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad.

The Prime Minister also paid tribute to the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gir Somnath during his roadshow in Somnath before entering the temple premises.

He also held a roadshow en route to the Somnath Temple, which witnessed a large turnout of supporters, with tight security arrangements deployed across key points in the city.

PM Narendra Modi is in Gujarat to attend the Somnath Amrit Mahotsav and inaugurate Sardar Dham in Vadodara,e Minister," said Deputy CM.

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Ahead of his visit, the PM shared an op-ed ahead reflecting on the temple's civilisational significance and paying tribute to those who protected and restored it over centuries.

In the op-ed, the Prime Minister said the visit would mark 75 years since the inauguration of the restored Somnath Temple by India's first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad. Modi recalled attending the Somnath Swabhiman Parv earlier this year, marking 1,000 years since the first attack on the temple, and described Somnath's journey as one "from ruin to renewal" or "from Vidhvans to Srijan.