Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi flagged off a special train on Monday, officially launching the ‘Somnath Swabhiman Yatra-2026’, sending approximately 1,100 state devotees on a pilgrimage to Gujarat’s historic Somnath Temple.
The pilgrimage is part of a broader, countrywide movement aimed at honouring and celebrating India’s cultural identity and deep-rooted spiritual legacy.
Addressing the gathering, Majhi characterized the yatra as a journey of faith, devotion and cultural pride.
“Lord Jagannath in the East and Lord Somnath in the West symbolise India’s spiritual unity and timeless civilisational values,” he said.
Majhi emphasized that the yatra serves as a powerful reminder of the nation’s deep cultural ties, strengthening the collective spiritual bonds that unite citizens across various regions.
He further noted that the pilgrimage marks two major historical milestones – the millennium anniversary of Mahmud of Ghazni’s 1026 AD assault on the Somnath Temple, and the 75th anniversary of the temple’s post-Independence restoration.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the monumental rebuilding of the sacred site was driven by the vision and leadership of India’s first Deputy Prime Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
In addition to the 1,100 travellers from Odisha, Majhi shared that the larger initiative includes over 1,000 pilgrims journeying from Lucknow and an additional 1,300 devotees traveling from Delhi to Somnath.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governance philosophy of ‘Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi’ (Development along with Heritage), Majhi stated that Somnath has been transformed into a premier global pilgrimage hub equipped with contemporary amenities like museums, seaside boardwalks, exhibition spaces, and upgraded infrastructure funded by the PRASHAD scheme.
Suryabanshi Suraj, the state’s Odia Language, Literature, and Culture Minister, said that the devotees from Odisha were carrying holy water from Bhubaneswar’s revered Bindusagar Lake and sacred earth from the Kedar Gouri Temple to present at Somnath, serving as physical representations of the spiritual link between the two states.
During their visit, the pilgrims will participate in sacred darshan, the majestic evening aarti, holy bath rituals (Rudrabhishek), non-stop chanting of mantras, and a state-of-the-art light-and-sound exhibition detailing the temple’s resilient history.
