At the Somnath Sankalp Mahotsav, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that foreign invaders tried to destroy Sanatan culture and temples, but could not destroy the spiritual consciousness of India. He also mentioned Kashi, Somnath and Ram temple development.
Varanasi. Describing the history and present of Sanatan Dharma as glorious, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that many foreign invaders including Mohammad Ghori tried to destroy the spiritual and cultural identity of India, but they could not succeed. He said that Aurangzeb had erected a symbol of slavery by demolishing the ancient temple of Baba Vishwanath, but he could not break the soul of India. Sanatan is not limited only to the walls of temples, but it is ingrained in the consciousness and culture of India.
On Monday, the Chief Minister along with Governor Anandiben Patel participated in the ‘Somnath Sankalp Mahotsav’ organized under the ‘Somnath Swabhiman Parv’. This program was organized at Trimbakeshwar Multipurpose Hall located in Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham complex. People present at the program also watched the live telecast of the special Mahapuja, Kumbhabhishek, flag hoisting and flower shower performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Somnath Temple in Gujarat.
Sanatan culture is the basis of India’s consciousness: CM Yogi
CM Yogi said that India’s spiritual and cultural heritage is the basis of its agelessness and immortality. Those who tried to erase Sanatan culture, themselves got merged in history. Today there is no one to even take the names of those invaders, whereas Sanatan culture is still standing strong. He said that Sanatan culture can be attacked, but it cannot be defeated.
Kashi Vishwanath Dham and Somnath Temple became symbols of renaissance
The Chief Minister said that with the inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the vision of ‘One India-Best India’ seems to be coming true. Examples of this are the re-consecration program of Lord Somnath Mahadev Temple in Saurashtra, development of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Mahakal Lok in Ujjain and construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. He said that many holy pilgrimage sites of the country are now embarking on a new journey of development with their grandeur. He expressed his gratitude on behalf of the people of Uttar Pradesh to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him the driving force of this cultural renaissance.
Campaign to connect Somnath Swabhiman festival with the roots of India
CM Yogi said that Somnath Swabhiman festival is a symbol of the renaissance of Indian cultural consciousness, spiritual tradition and national self-respect. This event is an innovative effort to connect people with the roots and heritage of India. He said that Kashi and Somnath are two immortal pillars of India’s civilizational consciousness. While Baba Vishwanath Dham situated on the banks of Ganga in the north is keeping the spiritual stream of Sanatan alive, the first Jyotirlinga Lord Somnath Mahadev situated on the sea coast in the west is lighting the flame of India’s self-respect and renaissance.
Foreign invaders attacked temples many times
The Chief Minister said that history is witness to the fact that foreign invaders including Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked the Somnath temple several times. They tried to destroy the splendor of the temples and erase the cultural identity of India. The same situation was seen with thousands of eternal symbols of the country including Baba Vishwanath Dham.
He said that the invaders had the illusion that by destroying the temples and looting their property, they would destroy the soul of India, but this was never possible. Today Kashi Vishwanath Dham and Somnath Temple stand as symbols of India’s self-respect and pride.
Sardar Patel had resolved to rebuild Somnath temple.
CM Yogi said that Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had pledged to reconstruct and re-consecrate the Somnath temple. Despite all the challenges and opposition, he carried forward this work. This was not just the reconstruction of the temple, but it was a symbol of freeing the country from slavery and establishing self-respect. He said that a similar cultural and spiritual renaissance is being seen in Kashi also.
Targeted at those opposing the development of spiritual places
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that even today there are some powers who do not want to see the development of spiritual and cultural places of India. He said that these same people were earlier against the re-consecration of Somnath temple and also continued to create obstacles in the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. He said that it is the result of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that today the entire country is connecting with the Swabhiman festival of Somnath Mahadev and the Amrit Mahotsav of re-establishment.
CM Yogi also mentioned the country’s first President Rajendra Prasad. He said that 75 years ago, despite the opposition of the then government, Dr. Rajendra Prasad had participated in the re-consecration ceremony of Somnath Temple.
Many ministers and public representatives were present
Yogi government ministers Anil Rajbhar, Dayashankar Mishra, Hansraj Vishwakarma, Mayor Ashok Tiwari, MLA Tribhuvan Ram, Awadhesh Singh, Saurabh Srivastava, Sunil Patel, Legislative Council member Dharmendra Singh, District Panchayat President Poonam Maurya, Padma Awardee Prof. President of Kashi Vidvat Parishad were present in the program. Many dignitaries including Vashishtha Tripathi and Dr. Ram Narayan Dwivedi were present. MLA Dr. Neelkanth Tiwari welcomed the guests.
Cultural presentations enthralled the audience
In ‘Somnath Sankalp Mahotsav’, famous artists made the entire atmosphere Shiva-filled with cultural presentations. The people present at the program enjoyed the spiritual atmosphere. Kathak dancer Ankita Bhattacharya and her team presented Shiv Tandav. Dr. Divya Srivastava and fellow artists presented the praises of Lord Somnath. Anshuman Maharaj of Banaras Gharana and his team enthralled the audience with their sarod playing.