‘Somnath is our pride, our strength, our eternal prayer’: LG Sinha

RK News
Comments 0
12 May 2026

Says no other temple looted, destroyed 17 times, only to rise again in full splendour Performs Puja on Somnath Swabhiman Parv, celebrates 1,000 years of unbroken faith

Srinagar, May 11: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said that despite countless atrocities and invasions by aggressors, the Somnath temple has remained a guiding light, ushering Bharat towards new horizons.

The LG performed Puja on Somnath Swabhiman Parv, a celebration of 1,000 years of unbroken faith and unyielding resolve, and addressed a public event organised on the sacred occasion at Lok Bhavan.

"From the consecration of the rebuilt Somnath on May 11, 1951, to this day, this centre of faith has ignited the deepest spirit in every Indian. I am confident that Somnath's blessings will continue to inspire us to march forward with renewed resolve," he said.

Sinha said the Somnath Temple has always awakened new possibilities across the nation and laid the foundation of a new India.

“Somnath is a celebration of India's rich spiritual and cultural heritage. Somnath embodies the divinity of our land. Somnath is an eternal prayer. Somnath is inseparable from our culture, and its sanctity lives in every Indian heart,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor observed that Somnath is the very core of our eternal culture’s existence, and its purity is intertwined with the soul of every Indian. “Somnath is the divinity of India. Somnath is dedication. Somnath is devotion. Somnath is an eternal prayer. Somnath is the thirst for truth. Somnath is the radiant light of luminous saints. Somnath is our pride. Somnath is our strength,” he said.

The LG said that no other temple or sacred site had been looted and destroyed 17 times, only to rise again each time in full splendour.

“The Somnath temple stands alone as the foremost example. Invaders and rulers from Mahmud Ghaznavi to Alauddin Khilji and Zafar Khan plundered and razed it time and again. Yet, despite repeated destruction, Somnath endured in our collective soul and was later rebuilt by countless great kings. On this occasion, I bow to those great souls who, in various ways, not only preserved Somnath's eternal sanctity but stood firm to defend the temple from invaders. I pay homage to Bhim Dev, Jayapal, Anandpal, and Maharaja Dharsen. I also offer tribute to the Iron Man, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who, after India's independence, directed the temple's reconstruction on November 12, 1947 and on May 11, 1951, then President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad performed the consecration ceremony,” he said.

The Lieutenant Governor said that Somnath Temple's immortality teaches us to channel the nation’s entire strength into creation, drawing inspiration from the past to make it the bedrock of life, and build India's golden future.

He said that the rebuilding of the Somnath Temple is a symbol of inner victory for every person, a lamp of faith and resolve burning for millennia. “Somnath Temple is a beacon of the nation. Without Somnath, our society would be lifeless,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The event was attended by Minister for Youth Services & Sports Satish Sharma, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, DGP Nalin Prabhat, Additional Chief Secretary Jal Shakti Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary Home Chandraker Bharti, Principal Secretary Culture Brij Mohan Sharma, Administrative Secretaries, senior officials, and prominent citizens.