Varanasi: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, describing the history and present of Sanatan Dharma as glorious said, "Several foreign invaders, including Mohammad Ghori, attempted to destroy India’s spiritual and cultural identity. Aurangzeb demolished the ancient temple of Baba Vishwanath and erected a symbol of slavery in its place, but they could not break the soul of India. They failed to understand that Sanatan does not reside only within the walls of temples, but also in the consciousness of India."
He added, the eternal conch call of India’s immortality and timelessness is reflected in its spiritual and cultural heritage. Those who tried to erase Sanatan have themselves turned to dust. Today, there is no one left even to take the names of those invaders. Sanatan culture cannot be defeated.
CM Yogi Adityanath was addressing the gathering on Monday at the ‘Somnath Sankalp Mahotsav’ organized under the Somnath Swabhiman Parv along with Governor Anandiben Patel. The event was held at the Tryambakeshwar Multipurpose Hall in the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham complex.
The guests present also watched the live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing a special Mahapuja, along with Kumbhabhishek, flag hoisting, flower showering and other rituals during the main event being held at Somnath Temple in Gujarat.
In his address, CM Yogi stated, under the inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the vision of 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat' is becoming a reality. He said this vision is visible through the grand re-establishment, beautification and other development works at the Somnath Mahadev Temple in Saurashtra.
He added, "Kashi Vishwanath Dham, the establishment of Mahakal Mahalok, the grand Ram Mandir at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya and several other sacred pilgrimage sites associated with the Sanatan tradition are embarking on a new journey of development while restoring their grandeur."
Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi the driving force behind this transformation, CM Yogi expressed gratitude to him on behalf of the people of Uttar Pradesh.
Chief Minister said, today’s event marks the clarion call for the resurgence of India’s cultural consciousness, spiritual tradition and national self-respect. He described Somnath Swabhiman Parv as an innovative effort to reconnect India with its roots.
He added, "Kashi and Somnath are two eternal pillars of India’s civilizational consciousness. On one side stands Baba Vishwanath Dham on the sacred banks of Maa Ganga in the north, and on the other stands Lord Somnath Mahadev, the first Jyotirlinga, on the western seashore. While Kashi has preserved the uninterrupted spiritual stream of Sanatan on the banks of the Ganga, Somnath has kept alive the flame of our self-respect and renaissance."
CM Yogi said, both Somnath and Kashi send a message from history that attacks may occur on Sanatan culture, but it can never be defeated. “Destruction is temporary, creation is eternal,” he remarked.
Referring to Mahmud Ghaznavi and other foreign invaders, he said "They attacked the Somnath Temple 17 times nearly a thousand years ago in an attempt to destroy its grandeur. Similar attacks were carried out on Baba Vishwanath Dham and thousands of other symbols of Sanatan across India. The invaders believed that by breaking idols and looting the glory of temples, they could erase the soul of India. But they themselves turned to dust."
He added, Kashi Vishwanath Dham and Somnath Mahadev Temple today stand as symbols of pride and narrate the saga of India’s self-respect. Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had resolved to rebuild the Somnath Temple. Despite several obstacles and challenges, Patel moved ahead firmly. The reconstruction of Somnath Temple was a declaration of freedom from slavery and the restoration of the nation’s self-respect. We see the same spirit in Kashi as well.
Taking a swipe at critics, CM Yogi said, even today there are many forces that do not want the development of spiritual and cultural sites symbolizing India’s self-respect. These are the same people who had opposed the re-establishment ceremony of Somnath Mahadev Temple and continuously created hurdles in the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
“But under the successful leadership of the Prime Minister, today we are witnessing from Kashi Vishwanath Dham the celebrations of the Swabhiman Parv and the Amrit Parv of the re-establishment of Somnath Mahadev,” he said.
CM Yogi also mentioned India’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad, saying that despite opposition from the government of that time, he had attended the re-establishment ceremony of Somnath Mahadev Temple 75 years ago.
Among those present on the occasion were ministers in the Yogi government Anil Rajbhar, Dayashankar Mishra ‘Dayalu’, Hansraj Vishwakarma, Mayor Ashok Tiwari, MLAs Tribhuvan Ram, Avdhesh Singh, Saurabh Srivastava, Sunil Patel, Legislative Council member Dharmendra Singh, District Panchayat Chairperson Poonam Maurya, Kashi Vidwat Parishad President and Padma awardee Prof. Vashishtha Tripathi, Dr Ram Narayan Dwivedi and others. MLA Dr Neelkanth Tiwari welcomed the guests.
Cultural performances immerse audience in a ‘spiritual Ganga’ Renowned artists made the atmosphere devotional and Shiva-centric through cultural performances at the Somnath Sankalp Mahotsav. The audience present at the spiritual event experienced immense bliss, as if taking a dip in a 'spiritual Ganga'. Kathak dancer Ankita Bhattacharya along with her team performed Shiv Tandav, while Dr Divya Srivastava and accompanying artists presented hymns in praise of Lord Somnath. Anshuman Maharaj of the Banaras Gharana and accompanying artists captivated the audience with a soulful sarod recital.