Srinagar, May 11(KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said the Somnath Temple stands as a symbol of India’s spiritual strength and resilience despite repeated invasions and destruction over centuries.
Addressing a public event after performing puja on the occasion of Somnath Swabhiman Parv at Lok Bhavan, Sinha said the temple had remained “a guiding light ushering Bharat towards new horizons”.
“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,” he said.
The lieutenant governor said Somnath represented India’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage and had always awakened new possibilities across the nation.
“Somnath embodies the divinity of our land. Somnath is eternal prayer. Somnath is inseparable from our culture and its sanctity lives in every Indian heart,” he said.
“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,” he said.
He paid tribute to rulers and leaders associated with the temple’s preservation and reconstruction, including Bhim Dev, Jayapal, Anandpal, Maharaja Dharsen, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Rajendra Prasad.
Sinha said the rebuilding of the temple symbolised “inner victory” and a “lamp of faith and resolve burning for millennia”.
“Somnath Temple is a beacon of the nation. Without Somnath, our society would be lifeless,” he added.
Minister for Youth Services and Sports Satish Sharma, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, DGP Nalin Prabhat and senior officials were present at the event.(KNS).