From Swami Vivekananda to Ahilyabai Holkar
Somnath is not the story of just one period. Goddess Ahilyabai Holkar kept the tradition of worship alive here through her efforts. When Swami Vivekananda arrived here in the 1890s, this place stirred him to the core. He had said that temples like Somnath explain our civilization more than any book.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clarified in his blog that the story of Somnath is not of destruction, but of Indian self-respect, faith and reconstruction that has been going on for the last 1000 years. Mahmud Ghaznavi went away looting, but could not win the soul of India. Even today in 2026, Somnath stands, giving the message that those with the mentality of destruction get reduced to history, while civilizations based on faith survive for ages.
Linking this incident to modern India, the Prime Minister has written that these same civilizational values are today making India a center of hope on the global stage. Yoga, Ayurveda, art, culture and innovation—all stem from this consciousness.
Somnath teaches us that if a temple that was destroyed a thousand years ago can stand again in its glory, then India too can become a developed nation with its ancient glory. Even today, Somnath is the sound of hope, the voice of faith and a symbol of the power that inspires to rise even after breaking.