Somnath Swabhiman Parv: PM Modi leads Shaurya Yatra, plays conch during procession

PM Modi offers prayers at the Somnath Temple, in Gujarat, on January 11.

• PM Modi offered prayers at Somnath Temple and led the Shaurya Yatra procession
• Somnath Swabhiman Parv marks 1,000 years of temple resilience since 1026
• Event included cultural shows, tributes, and involvement from saints and students.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, offered prayers at the Somnath Temple and participated in the ‘Shaurya Yatra’, marking the culmination of the four-day Somnath Swabhiman Parv that commemorates 1,000 years of unbroken faith and resilience since the first recorded attack on the temple in 1026.

#WATCH | Gujarat | PM Narendra Modi interacts with artists in attendance, after offering prayers at Somnath Temple.

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Source: DD pic.twitter.com/ghEyP0ntzb — ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2026

The Prime Minister paid floral tributes to the statues of Veer Hamirji Gohil and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Veer Hamirji Gohil is remembered for laying down his life while defending the Somnath Temple during the 1299 invasion led by Zafar Khan.

#WATCH | Gujarat | PM Narendra Modi offers prayers at Somnath Temple. Source: DD pic.twitter.com/lkFvl7zuar — ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2026

Earlier in the day, PM Modi took part in the Shaurya Yatra, a symbolic procession organised as part of the Swabhiman Parv, which represents courage, sacrifice and the indomitable spirit that preserved Somnath through centuries of destruction and rebuilding.

Visuals from the event showed the Prime Minister standing in an open, flower-decked vehicle, accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi. During the procession, Modi played the conch and acknowledged greetings from the gathered crowd.

Ahead of the yatra, 108 horses from the Gujarat Police Mounted Unit arrived to participate in the procession. DIG Rajendrasinh Chudasama said the mounted contingent comprised locally bred Kathiawadi and Marwadi horses that had undergone extensive training for the event.

“Shaurya Yatra is being organised in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and 108 horses of the Gujarat Mounted Unit will be participating in it. The unit consists of Kathiawadi and Marwadi horses and are locally bred. The horses have been trained for the Shaurya Yatra for eight months,” Chudasama told ANI.

Several saints, seers and children were present to welcome the Prime Minister. Sanjay Brahmbhatt of Brahmarshi Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya in Gujarat’s Kheda district said around 350 students from the institution participated in the yatra.

“We have come from Nadiad in Kheda district. Around 350 students have come here and all of us will take part in the Shaurya Yatra. Our children will play the conch and damru, and we will lead the procession ahead of the horses,” he said.

The atmosphere in Somnath and nearby Veraval was marked by religious devotion and patriotic fervour. Cultural performances and patriotic songs further added to the celebrations.

Somnath Swabhiman Parv, held from January 8 to January 11, marks 1,000 years since Mahmud of Ghazni’s first attack on the Somnath Temple in 1026. The attack ushered in a long period during which the temple was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, a cycle that is regarded as unique in world history and symbolic of enduring faith and civilisational pride.

On Kartak Sud 1, Diwali day, November 12, 1947, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel visited the ruins of the temple and resolved to rebuild it, calling its restoration vital to reviving India’s cultural confidence. The reconstruction, carried out with public participation, culminated in the consecration of the present temple on May 11, 1951, in the presence of then President Rajendra Prasad.

In 2026, the nation marks 75 years since that historic consecration. Revered as the first among the 12 Aadi Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, the Somnath Temple stands along the Arabian Sea with its 150-foot shikhar, symbolising enduring faith and national resolve.