Overview
- The four-day commemoration runs January 8–11 to mark 1,000 years since Mahmud of Ghazni’s 1026 raid and 75 years since the temple’s 1951 reconstruction under Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to join Omkar chanting around 8 p.m. on January 10 at Somnath, followed by a drone show over the Arabian Sea.
- On January 11 he is slated to lead the Shaurya Yatra, then offer prayers at the Jyotirlinga and address a public gathering; the procession will include a one-kilometre roadshow with 108 horsemen.
- Programming includes 72 hours of uninterrupted Omkar chanting, spiritual music evenings and cultural events designed to highlight faith, heritage and national pride.
- The Somnath temple at Prabhas Patan in Gujarat, revered as the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, draws about 97 lakh devotees annually, with parallel observances reported in cities such as Hyderabad.