Last Updated:January 11, 2026, 12:46 IST

PM Modi offered prayers at the Somnath temple and paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

PM Modi Leads ‘Shaurya Yatra’ At Somnath

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the ‘Shaurya Yatra’ on Sunday, a ceremonial procession honouring those who sacrificed their lives defending the Somnath temple in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district. During the event, he also offered prayers at the historic temple and paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, whose statue stands near the temple premises.

The ‘Shaurya Yatra’, being organised as part of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, featured a procession of 108 horses, reflecting valour and sacrifice.

Thousands of people and devotees lined the route from Shankh Circle to Veer Hamirji Gohil Circle to greet the Prime Minister. PM Modi, accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, waved at the crowd during the one-km-long yatra. Watch video here.

A group of young priests, or ‘rushi kumars’, walked alongside Modi’s vehicle, playing the ‘damru’, an instrument associated with Lord Shiva. At one point, Modi borrowed two damrus and played them while standing on his vehicle.

Artists from across India, including Jammu and Kashmir, performed traditional dances on stages set up along the route. The yatra concluded at Veer Hamirji Gohil Circle, the starting point of the path to the famous temple.

At the circle, Modi offered floral tributes to the statue of Hamirji Gohil, who died defending the Somnath temple against the Delhi Sultanate’s army in 1299 AD.

PM Modi also paid homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, credited with the temple’s restoration after Independence, which was formally opened to devotees in 1951.

He offered prayers at the Somnath temple. He sat for a puja at the temple amid Vedic chants by the chief priest.

The Parv marks 1,000 years since Mahmud of Ghazni’s invasion of the Somnath temple in the year 1026.

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