Context
- PM Narendra Modi will visit Somnath Temple on January 11, 2026.
- The visit marks 1,000 years since the first attack on the Somnath shrine (1026 CE).
- Year-long commemorations are being organised as “Somnath Swabhiman Parva”.
- The event highlights India’s civilisational resilience and cultural continuity.
- 2026 also marks 75 years since the restored temple was inaugurated after Independence.
Somnath Temple
- Location: Prabhas Patan, Gujarat (Arabian Sea coast)
- Religious status: One of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva (first among them)
- Historical attacks: Most notable by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026 CE
Post-Independence reconstruction
- Initiated by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
- Supported by K.M. Munshi
Inauguration of present structure
- May 11, 1951
- By President Dr. Rajendra Prasad
