Swabhiman Parva begins at Somnath Temple in Gujarat; Union, state ministers attend event

The four-day-long 'Somnath Swabhiman Parva' began on Thursday at the historic Somnath Temple near Veraval town of Gujarat's Gir Somnath district in the presence of state and central ministers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will embark on a three-day visit to Gujarat beginning January 10, will offer prayers at the Somnath temple on January 11 and lead the 'Shaurya Yatra', a one-km-long roadshow featuring 108 horses, as part of the 'Somnath Swabhiman Parv', as per officials.

The Swabhiman Parv is being celebrated to mark the resilience of Indian civilisation, symbolised by the rebuilding of the Somnath Temple, which was repeatedly ravaged by foreign invaders beginning with Mahmud of Ghazni's attack nearly 1,000 years ago.

The grand celebration marks 1,000 years since the first attack on the Somnath Temple by Ghazni, a government release said.

Various cultural and religious events will take place at the Lord Shiva temple from January 8 to 11 as part of the Swabhiman Parv, it said.

Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Gujarat ministers Jitu Vaghani and Dr Pradyman Vaja were present as blowing of conch shells (shankh) and continuous recitation of vedic chants called 'Akhand Omkar Jap' marked the beginning of the event.

Nearly 2,500 'rishi kumars' (young priests) from across Gujarat have gathered at the temple to recite the Omkar mantra continuously for 72 hours.

On the occasion, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel offered prayers at Dholeshwar Mahadev Temple in Gandhinagar and joined the recitation of Omkar Mantra, the release said.

Patel said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, people of this country got the opportunity to highlight India's heritage and identity with pride in the form of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv.

The magnificent Somnath Temple is a symbol of countrymen's unwavering faith and collective strength, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)