Swabhiman Parv: PM Modi leads Shaurya Yatra, offers prayers at Somnath temple
Somnath (Gujarat) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday led 'Shaurya Yatra', a ceremonial procession organised to honour those who laid down their lives defending the Somnath temple in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district.
He 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', being organised as part of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, featured a procession of 108 horses, reflecting valour and sacrifice.
A large number of people and devotees gathered on both sides of the yatra route from Shankh Circle to Veer Hamirji Gohil Circle to greet the prime minister.
Standing on a specially designed vehicle, PM Modi, accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, waved at the crowd during the one-km-long yatra.
A group of young priests, or 'rushi kumars', walked along Modi's vehicle playing 'damru', an instrument of Lord Shiva. At one point, Modi himself borrowed two damrus from a priest and played them while standing on his vehicle.
Artists from across the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, performed their traditional dances on stages erected at regular intervals along the route.
The yatra culminated at 'Veer Hamirji Gohil Circle', from where the path to the famous temple begins.
At the circle, Modi offered floral tributes at the statue of Hamirji Gohil, who had sacrificed his life defending the Somnath temple against the incursion of the Delhi Sultanate's army in 1299 AD.
Later, Modi paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, whose statue has been installed near the entrance of the temple premises. Thanks to Patel's intervention, Somnath temple underwent restoration after Independence and it was formally opened to devotees in 1951.
PM Modi also offered prayers at the Somnath temple. He sat for a puja at the temple amid vedic chants by the chief priest.
The prime minister will later address people at a public function marking the Somnath Swabhiman Parv.
The event is being held to remember the countless citizens of India who have made sacrifices to defend the Somnath temple, which continues to inspire the cultural consciousness of future generations.
The programme marks 1,000 years since Mahmud of Ghazni's invasion of the Somnath temple in the year 1026.
Despite multiple repeated attempts for its destruction over centuries, the Somnath temple stands tall today as a powerful symbol of resilience, faith and national pride, owing to the collective resolve and efforts to restore it to its ancient glory, the PIB said in a statement.
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Bengal polls: RG Kar victim's mother files nomination as BJP candidate from Panihati
Kolkata (PTI): Ratna Debnath, mother of the raped-murdered RG Kar hospital doctor and the BJP candidate from Panihati, filed her nomination papers on Thursday.
She was accompanied by senior BJP leader and former Union minister Smriti Irani and district party leaders.
Speaking to reporters after filing her nomination, she said her sole aim is to oust the TMC regime in West Bengal, which, she alleged, would ensure women's safety in the state and prevent a recurrence of incidents like the RG Kar case.
Nearly a year and a half after the brutal killing of her 26-year-old daughter inside a locked seminar room of the state-run hospital in August 2024, Debnath agreed to contest the polls on a BJP ticket from her hometown Panihati after being approached by the party "to bring to light the truth behind the crime".
She is pitted against TMC's Tirthankar Ghosh and CPI(M)'s Kalatan Dasgupta.
