The Somnath temple located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, is believed to be the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is an important pilgrimage and tourist spot of Gujarat.
In view of a surge in the COVID-19 infections, the Somnath Temple trust has announced that the temple will remain shut for devotees from April 11 for an indefinite period.Devotees can participate in ‘darshan’ using online platforms. Apart from the main temple, other temples under the Somnath Trust will also remain closed till further notice.
“The Somnath Trust has decided to close Somnath temple from April 11 for visitors in view of rising COVID cases. Devotees can watch Aarti on the temple’s social media pages and its website,” conveyed by Vijaysinh Chawda, General Manager, Somnath Trust.As per the temple authorities, it will announce the re-opening of the temple at a later stage.
At present, Gujarat has 22,692 active cases. Gujarat High Court had directed the state government to take a decision on weekend curfew.India, on Saturday, reported 1,45,384 new COVID-19 cases which is the highest daily spike in cases since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The post of the Somnath Trust chairman fell vacant after the death of the incumbent, former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, in October last year. Patel had served as the chairman for 16 years.Recently after former PM Morarji Desai, Modi is the second Prime Minister who has been appointed the chairman of the temple trust. As per trust records, Modi has become the eighth chairman of the trust.
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