Somnath: The Gujarat government ran special trains from four metros to participate in the ‘Somnath Swabhiman Parv’ from Thursday in the presence of the first Jyotirlinga Shri Somnath Mahadev, a symbol of national self-respect and invincible faith of Indian culture. In this sequence, today the special train from Rajkot reached Somnath railway station. The entire station complex echoed with deafening shouts of ‘Har Har Bhole’ and ‘Jai Somnath’. For the devotees, it is not only a darshan but also a memory of the struggle of their ancestors.
During this, Deepakbhai Dave (devotee Rajkot) said, “We have not come just to sit in the train and have darshan, we have come to pay homage to our glorious history. Despite the many attacks on Somnath, today this grand peak is standing, which shows the liveliness of our culture. The opportunity that we have got by organizing this ‘Swabhiman Parv’ of the government, to participate in the story of 1000 years of struggle for Somnath, is supernatural.”
Another devotee Devang Jani said, “Our journey became easier as we got direct train from Rajkot. Seeing the way Sardar Patel rebuilt this temple and the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making it world class today, it seems that our self-respect is being honored in the true sense today.”
Jagdishbhai Parmar, a devotee of Rajkot, said that by participating in the Swabhiman festival here, he realized how many people have sacrificed for Somnath. We are grateful to Prime Minister PM Modi and the government for the opportunity the government has given us to connect with this great heritage by providing train facilities. The mythological story of Somnath will be presented through various programs in Somnath for the next three days. In this festival which will run till January 11, devotees from Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara will also reach Somnath through special trains.
It is noteworthy that this festival is not just a religious festival, but also a medium to convey the unique saga of one thousand years of struggle, sacrifice and reconstruction of Somnath to the new generation. The history of Somnath is the story of the victory of creation in the face of destruction. For centuries, from the attack of Mahmud Ghaznavi in 1026, foreign invaders tried to destroy this center of faith, but every time the heroes of India protected this land with their blood. Through this festival, tribute is being paid to the sacrifices of countless martyrs like Hamirji Gohil and Vegdaji Bhil.
