On 22nd January 2024, the entire nation celebrated the historic occasion of the pranpratishtha of Ram Lalla at the Ram Janmabhumi Mandir, Ayodhya. The majority of Indians felt that a historic wrong done to the Hindus was being reversed, marking the end of a long wait of 500 years. Did you know that the actions of the “Iron Man of India”, Sri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, were the inspiration behind the Ram Janmabhumi movement? Within just 3 months of the Independence, Sardar Patel had taken an unprecedented decision to rebuild the Somanath Jyotirlinga Mandir thereby healing a civilizational scar borne by millions of Indians across generations. It was the collective weight of 900 years of atrocities that had compelled Sardar to undertake such a herculean task. The story of Somanath is a tale of devotion, sacrifice, intolerance, bloodlust, and above all, the undying spirit of the followers of Sanatana Dharma.
The mandir of Somanath was destroyed by the invaders at least five times, the Jyotirlinga was cut to pieces and defiled in unimaginable ways on more than three occasions over the course of 700 years. Yet, even when their spirits were battered, even when the odds were overwhelmingly against them, the Hindus rebuilt the shrine and restarted the worship of Somanatha like clockwork. As the land of Ghazni which had once bathed in the riches looted from Somanath slid into a state of civil war and destruction in the 1970s, the land of Somanatha saw an unprecedented rise in its popularity and development showcasing the durability and strength of Hindu resilience.
The sacred land of Prabhasa, a place sanctified by the departure of Sri Krishna from his mortal form, where the revered Somanatha Mandir stands tall is a punyabhumi that continues to shine as a beacon of Hindu renaissance. The echoes of the past resonate in the present, as it was here that the landmark Ram Rath Yatra of the 1990s took its first step. This Yatra, organized by Bharat Ratna Lal Krishna Advani, aimed to reclaim the Ram Janmabhumi in Ayodhya. Advani saw the reconstruction of the Jyotirlinga Mandir on the rubble of loot and plunder as the first chapter in a journey to ‘preserve the old symbols of unity, communal amity, and cultural oneness’. He viewed the liberation of Ram Janmabhumi as the second chapter in this civilizational journey
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Jeevan 