Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday performed puja on Somnath Swabhiman Parv, a celebration of 1,000 years of unbroken faith and unyielding resolve.
Sinha also attended a public event organised on the sacred occasion at Lok Bhavan, an official spokesman said.
The Lieutenant Governor said that despite countless atrocities and invasions by aggressors, Somnath has 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. I am confident that Somnath’s blessings will continue to inspire us to march forward with renewed resolve,” Sinha said.
He also said that the Somnath temple has always awakened new possibilities across the nation and laid the foundation of a new India.
“Somnath is a celebration of India’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage. Somnath embodies the divinity of our land,” he said.
The L-G observed that Somnath is the very core of India’s eternal culture’s existence and its purity is intertwined with the soul of every Indian. “Somnath is the thirst for truth. Somnath is the radiant light of luminous saints. Somnath is our pride. Somnath is our strength,” he said.
Sinha said that no other temple or sacred site was looted and destroyed 17 times, only to rise again each time in full splendour. “The Somnath temple stands alone as the foremost example. 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 and later rebuilt by countless great kings,” Sinha said.
The L-G paid tributes to those “great souls” who not only preserved Somnath’s eternal sanctity but stood firm to defend the temple from invaders.
“I pay homage to Bhim Dev, Jayapal, Anandpal and Maharaja Dharsen. I also offer tribute to the Iron Man, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who, after India’s Independence, directed the temple’s reconstruction on November 12, 1947 and on May 11, 1951, then president of India Dr Rajendra Prasad performed the consecration ceremony,” the L -G said.
Sinha said that the Somnath temple’s immortality teaches us to channelise the nation’s entire strength into creation, drawing inspiration from the past to make it the bedrock of life and building India’s golden future.
He said that the rebuilding of the Somnath temple is a symbol of inner victory for every person, a lamp of faith and resolve burning for millennia.
L-G urges youth to build a developed India
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today inaugurated National Youth Festival—Aarohan 2026—in Srinagar. Speaking on the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor said this event declares a new vision of ‘Rise, Shine, and Conquer’ to the youth, which encapsulates a complete philosophy that lights the path to the future and a bold challenge to build a developed India by 2047.
“National Youth Festival is a proclamation that the time for youth has arrived. Through its ‘Young Leaders Dialogue’, we are laying the very foundation and the framework on which the next chapter of India’s glorious heritage will stand tall,” the L-G said.
He urged the youth participating in ‘Viksit J&K Young Leaders Dialogue’, ‘Hackathon’ and ‘Cultural Event’ to rise up and commit to building a developed India that future generations will take pride in. He said governance can’t thrive without the voice of its youth and inclusive governance means ensuring young people have a real stake in the work happening across every key sector.
