Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday invoked the long and turbulent history of the Somnath temple to deliver a strong political and cultural message, warning that the forces which opposed the temple’s reconstruction after Independence have not disappeared and remain active even today. Speaking at the Somnath Swabhiman Parv in Gujarat, Modi called for unity, vigilance and strength to counter what he described as elements rooted in appeasement and extremist thinking.

The event marked 1,000 years since the invasion of the Somnath temple by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026, an episode that has occupied a central place in India’s historical memory and political discourse. Addressing a large gathering, Modi said the story of Somnath was not one of defeat or destruction, but of victory, renewal and civilisational resilience.

“The history of Somnath is not that of destruction and defeat, but of victory and renewal,” the Prime Minister said. “This is the cycle of time that fundamentalist invaders have now been reduced to pages of history, but the Somnath temple still stands tall.”

Somnath as a symbol of resilience

Modi described the Somnath temple as a powerful symbol of India’s enduring faith and national pride. Despite being attacked and destroyed multiple times over centuries, the temple stands today as a testament to what he called the collective resolve of the Indian people to reclaim and restore their civilisational heritage.

“Despite repeated attempts over centuries to destroy it, Somnath stands today because of the determination of those who refused to let their faith and identity be erased,” he said. According to Modi, this continuity gives Somnath a significance that goes beyond religion, making it emblematic of India’s historical endurance in the face of foreign invasions.

The Prime Minister framed the millennium-long journey of Somnath as unique in world history. “This struggle of 1,000 years has no parallel anywhere in the world,” he said, arguing that few civilisations have managed to preserve and revive their cultural symbols with such persistence despite repeated attempts at destruction.

Reinterpreting history

A key theme of Modi’s address was his criticism of how the history of Somnath and similar events was taught and interpreted in post-Independence India. He alleged that the true nature of the invasion was deliberately diluted or misrepresented.

“The true history of hatred, atrocity and terror was concealed from us,” Modi said. “We were taught that the attack was merely an attempt to loot the temple.”

By making this claim, Modi sought to argue that historical narratives had downplayed the ideological and religious motivations behind such invasions, reducing them to acts of plunder rather than acknowledging their broader impact on India’s cultural and spiritual life. This, he suggested, contributed to a collective amnesia that weakened national self-awareness.

Patel and the post-Independence rebuild

Modi devoted a significant part of his speech to the period immediately after Independence, when the question of rebuilding the Somnath temple emerged as a major political and ideological issue. He recalled the role of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first deputy prime minister and home minister, in championing the reconstruction of the temple.

“After Independence, when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel took the oath of rebuilding the Somnath temple, his path was obstructed,” Modi said. Without naming specific individuals, he criticised those who opposed or questioned the reconstruction, framing them as forces driven by appeasement and ideological hesitation.

According to Modi, these forces chose to “kneel before people with an extremist mindset” instead of asserting India’s civilisational confidence. He warned that similar attitudes have not vanished and continue to influence public discourse and political decision-making.

“Those forces are still present among us who tried to obstruct the rebuilding of the Somnath temple,” Modi said. “We need to remain alert, united and powerful to defeat such forces.”

A broader national narrative

By linking Somnath’s history to contemporary politics, Modi presented the temple as a metaphor for India itself. “Somnath’s tale is the story of India,” he said. “Foreign invaders tried to destroy India many times, just like they tried to destroy this temple.”

The Prime Minister argued that invaders believed they had achieved victory by demolishing sacred structures and symbols. However, he said history ultimately proved them wrong. “The invaders thought they had won by destroying the temple, but after 1,000 years, the flag of Somnath is still flying high,” Modi declared.

This framing fits into a broader narrative promoted by the Prime Minister and his party, in which India’s past is portrayed as a series of civilisational struggles culminating in a contemporary revival of cultural self-confidence. In this narrative, restoration of temples and celebration of historical resilience are seen as acts of national reaffirmation rather than religious assertion alone.

Political undertones and contemporary relevance

While Modi’s speech was delivered in a religious and commemorative setting, its political undertones were unmistakable. His references to “appeasement” and forces that opposed temple reconstruction echo long-standing critiques by the BJP and its ideological affiliates of what they describe as post-Independence secular politics.

By suggesting that such forces are still active, Modi implied that the struggle represented by Somnath is not merely historical but ongoing. The call for unity and vigilance appeared aimed at mobilising supporters around a shared sense of historical grievance and cultural pride.

At the same time, Modi avoided naming current political opponents directly, instead framing the issue in civilisational terms. This allowed him to connect past events with present-day concerns without explicitly turning the occasion into a partisan rally.

Somnath in modern India

The Somnath temple, located in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district, has long occupied a special place in India’s religious and political imagination. Its modern reconstruction, completed in the early years after Independence, was inaugurated in 1951 by then President Rajendra Prasad, despite reservations expressed by some leaders about state involvement in religious projects.

Over the decades, Somnath has come to symbolise debates over secularism, heritage, and the role of the state in cultural revival. Modi’s address at the Swabhiman Parv sought to reaffirm the temple’s place at the centre of a narrative that blends faith, history and nationalism.

A message of continuity and resolve

Concluding his remarks, Modi returned to the theme of continuity across centuries. He argued that Somnath’s survival and revival demonstrate that attempts to erase India’s identity have ultimately failed.

“Fundamentalist invaders have become a part of history,” he said, “but Somnath remains.”

By invoking a millennium-long timeline, Modi positioned the present moment as part of a larger historical arc, one in which India is rediscovering and asserting its civilisational roots. His warning about forces still active today served as both a reminder of past conflicts and a call to remain steadfast in the future.

At Somnath Swabhiman Parv, the Prime Minister’s message was clear: the story of Somnath is, in his view, not only about what happened a thousand years ago, but about how India understands its past, confronts its present, and shapes its future.