Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], February 16 : Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first Mahashivratri following the grand celebration of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, witnessed a rare and sacred confluence of devotion and service.
The Somnath Swabhiman Parv, a festival celebrating the nation's identity, pride, and its thousand-year journey, was held in the presence of Prime Minister Modi. A large number of pilgrims and devotees from across the country participated in the celebration. Devotees arrived in Somnath from every corner of the country, many travelling through special trains and buses arranged for the occasion.
The Somnath Trust arranged transportation from the railway station to the temple and provided food (prasad) for the pilgrims, a release said.
When the Somnath Temple was reconstructed in 1951, arranging meals for devotees at the newly built shrine was a major challenge. The Somnath Swabhiman Parv also commemorated 75 years of the temple's reconstruction. Guided by the work culture provided by the Prime Minister of transforming challenges into opportunities, the Somnath Trust has turned challenges into success through the generous donations, dedicated service, and active participation of Shiva devotees until now, the release added.
Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Modi, the Somnath Trust has fulfilled its resolve that no devotee visiting Somnath for darshan should go hungry by providing free meals during the Somnath Swabhiman Parv.
On the occasion of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, the Somnath Trust assured the district administration that, regardless of the number of devotees, there would be no shortage of food. Accordingly, the administration operated round-the-clock community kitchens (Bhandaras), serving meals to devotees from across the country and ensuring uninterrupted service for pilgrims.
On the occasion of Mahashivratri, in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Somnath Trust Trustee JD Parmar, Secretary Yogendra Desai, and General Manager Chavda presented a cheque of Rs 1.08 crore to the Gir-Somnath District Administration towards the ration expenses of the community kitchens.
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