Pandit Nehru had objected to the participation in the consecration program of the first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad on 11 May 1951.
Historians may differ in determining the number of times the holy temple of Somnath was destroyed between the first attack of Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026 and the last orders of Aurangzeb to destroy it in 1706, but the swords of foreign invaders could never break the faith and belief of Hindus in it. Even amidst the ruins, worship continued continuously. The lamps of faith kept burning and the bells kept ringing. After independence, Iron Man Sardar Patel resolved to rebuild the Somnath temple. Everything went well in the beginning. Mahatma Gandhi also agreed. But by the time the construction was completed, Gandhiji and Patel had passed away.
The first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was concerned about the secular image of his government. He did not find this to be the right time for the reconstruction and consecration of the temple. He first stopped Minister KM Munshi who was leading the construction work. Objected in writing to the first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad’s participation in the consecration program on 11 May 1951. Asked Chief Ministers and others to stay away from it.
Radio coverage of the event was banned. This program became the cause of unpleasant confrontation between the Prime Minister and the President. That historic program has completed 75 years on 11 May 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present there on this important occasion. Read from the pages of history – the story from Patel’s resolution to the inauguration of the renovated temple.
The consecration of Somnath temple today (11 May) 75 years have been completed.
Patel’s resolution
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel reached Junagadh on November 13, 1947. After addressing a huge public meeting he went to Somnath temple. Seeing the ruins of the temple, he became emotional and resolved to revive it. This decision of Patel was not part of any pre-planned political program. His colleague V.P. Menon has written in his famous book Integration Of The Indian States that whatever happened there was completely spontaneous.
Jam Saheb, present in the meeting, announced an immediate donation of one lakh rupees, while the interim government of Samaldas Gandhi pledged to donate fifty-one thousand rupees. In reality, Patel’s visit to Junagadh took place amid the controversy over the merger of the princely state with India. The majority of the population of Junagadh, ruled by Muslim Nawabs, was Hindu. Contrary to public sentiments, the Nawab had proposed the merger of the princely state with Pakistan. Jinnah had also approved it. Amidst the tremendous public resentment against the Nawab’s decision, India took the initiative on the initiative of Sardar Patel and Junagadh formally merged with India on 8 November 1947. The holy Somnath temple is situated in the territory of this former princely state.
Sardar Patel. Photo: Getty Images
Gandhi and Cabinet agreed
On his return to Delhi, Sardar Patel presented a formal proposal for the revival of Somnath Temple before the Cabinet. The then Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was of the opinion that the temple should be given under the protection of the Archeology Department and it should be preserved as a historical monument. But Patel’s proposal was approved by the cabinet.
Mahatma Gandhi also agreed with this. However, his suggestion was that government money should not be used in the construction of the temple and the entire work should be completed with public cooperation. Patel gladly accepted Gandhi’s advice. After this, a revival committee was formed and Sardar Patel made his trusted aide, the then Food and Agriculture Minister Kanhaiyalal Maniklal Munshi, its president. Munshi was not only a politician, but also a litterateur, a lover of culture and a strong supporter of the sense of Indian history. He linked the Somnath reconstruction program to national honour.
Mahatma Gandhi.
Why did Nehru step back?
The political developments of the country changed rapidly. The country was shaken by the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on 30 January 1948. With the death of Sardar Patel on 15 December 1950, the voice that had the power to challenge Prime Minister Nehru when needed fell silent. Till this time the construction work of Somnath temple was not completed. From the very beginning, the leftists and the so-called progressive class were seeing the reconstruction of Somnath as Hindu revivalism.
Nehru himself was extremely conscious of the concept of a modern, scientific and secular nation-state. He feared that if people associated with the government played an active role in the construction of the temple, it would raise questions on India’s secular identity. After a cabinet meeting, Nehru asked K. Told M. Munshi – You try to revive Somnath temple, I do not like it. This is Hindu revivalism.
Pandit Nehru.
K.M.Munshi did not waver
Despite Nehru’s objection. M. Munshi did not back down. He believed that the reconstruction of Somnath is not a question of any communal politics, but of restoration of national self-respect. On 24 April 1951, Munshi recorded this in a letter and wrote that he would complete this task. It was also written that Somnath is a symbol of India’s cultural consciousness and its reconstruction is linked to the self-confidence of the nation. Interestingly, Nehru was unhappy with Munshi’s refusal, first verbally and then through letter, but still Nehru did not ask Munshi to resign from the cabinet. Obviously, in the political environment of that time, there was still patience left to keep dissenting voices together amid ideological differences.
Rajendra Prasad ignored Nehru’s objection
K.M.Munshi did not stop here. He invited President Dr. Rajendra Prasad for the inauguration program after the reconstruction of the temple. Rajendra Prasad was a person deeply connected to Indian culture and traditions. He saw secularism as equality of all religions, not as distancing from one’s civilizational identity. He accepted the invitation. Nehru had objection. On March 2, 1951, he wrote a letter to the President requesting him not to attend the function.
It was further written that unfortunately many meanings will be taken from it. Personally I think this is not the right time to insist on building a huge temple at Somnath. This could have been done slowly. Could have been done more effectively later. Still, I think it would be better if you did not preside over that function. But Dr. Rajendra Prasad remained firm on his decision. He believed that as President he could respect all religions and traditions.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
Prime Minister and President collide!
In the initial years of independence, there was an open conflict between the Prime Minister and the President of the country, which was discussed from Parliament to the streets and was forever preserved in the pages of history. Neither the President nor the Prime Minister were ready to back down. On May 2, 1951, Nehru wrote in a letter addressed to the Chief Ministers of the states that this is not a government program. Nehru advised the state governments to stay away not only from this program but also from similar programs. In his famous book India from Curzon to Nehru and After, famous journalist Durgadas wrote that Pandit Nehru disagreed with Dr. Rajendra Prasad’s participation in this program to such an extent that he had prohibited the Information and Broadcasting Ministry from covering the President’s program.
Prasad said, I am a Hindu but respect all religions.
Ignoring Nehru’s objection, Dr. Rajendra Prasad participated in the historic inauguration program of Somnath Temple on 11 May 1951. On this occasion he had said, “Let all people try to understand the great elements of religion. There are many ways to reach the truth and God. Just as all the rivers merge into the vast ocean, similarly different religions help people to reach God. Although I am a Hindu, I respect all religions. I visit churches, mosques, gurudwaras and dargahs on many occasions. I believe that the revival of the Somnath temple will be complete on the day when not only a grand monument is laid on this foundation stone The statue will stand, but along with it, the prosperity of which the ancient temple of Somnath has been a symbol, is crying out to the world that no power of the world can destroy it. Whatever we are doing today is not for the sake of our traditional values, ideals and devotion. We have to reiterate once again the attachment on which the building of our religion and religious beliefs has stood since ancient times.”
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