Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the Somnath Promenade and Exhibition Gallery under PRASHAD Scheme of Ministry of Tourism and Ahilyabai Mandir Parisar Renovation carried out by Shree Somnath Trust and also lay the foundation stone of Parvati Mata Mandir in Gujarat through a virtual platform on August 20.
Modi will be joined by Home Minister Amit Shah, Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State for Tourism and Ports, Shipping & Waterways, GoI; Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State for Tourism and Defence, GoI; Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister, Gujarat; Jawahar Chawda, Tourism Minister, Gujarat; Rajeshbhai Chudasama , Member of Parliament, Junagadh and Pravin K Leheri, Trustee- Secretary, Shree Somnath Trust.
Located about 94 km from Junagadh, the Somnath Temple is said to have been originally built by the moon god with gold. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Somnath Temple is one of the most important spiritual sites in the Hindu circuit. Believed to be the first of the 12 jyotirlingas (devotional shrines of Lord Shiva) in the country, the temple sees a large footfall every year. In the month of November, the Kartik Purnima fair organised here attracts a large number of pilgrims.
The ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) has been launched by the Ministry of Tourism with the objective of holistic development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations with focus on development of pilgrimage tourist destinations.
