Explained : A Civilizational Statement Beyond Politics and Its Impact

The spiritual landscape of India was heavily distorted by the brutal evidence of foreign invasions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Somnath temple to celebrate Somnath Swabhiman Parv was evidently intended to convey to the world the civilizational priorities of his government. His stay at Somnath served as a reminder to the Indian conscience of how repeated brutal invasions sought to shatter the spiritual framework of a society. At the same time, the visit represented a retrospective journey into history, proclaiming the enduring relevance of the majestic temple that survived multiple demolitions and the long struggle that restored its ancient glory.

Almost a thousand years ago, an invasion, one that marked the beginning of many such brutal assaults, turned Somnath, one of the most ancient temples in Bharat, to a pile of rubbles. Its pillars were toppled, deities mutilated, and immense wealth looted. Yet, each resurrection of the temple loudly proclaimed the spiritual will of a people who preserved India’s spiritual essence without flickering, even for a moment. The first heart-trembling invasion of Somnath took place in 1026, which was the beginning of a history shaped by those who refused to accept defeat. The grand depictions of their valor, alongside the stark brutality of the invaders, testify that this landscape of Bharat has always remained a unified cultural entity.

Today, India is proudly redefining its civilizational background, with its spiritual essence being revived for the larger good. As a nation, India’s centuries-long struggle against external aggression and provocative iconoclasm forced it to endure severe backlash. This did not stop even after the country gained freedom. The regimes that politically controlled independent India showed little respect for the resurrection of cultural remnants buried under the brutal actions of the aggressors.

The invaders encountered the landscape of Bharat which was all-encompassing as its profound spiritual philosophy and cultural might nourished its social ambiance. Social differences, if any existed, were diluted by deep cultural ethos that nurtured collective consciousness. Modi, at Somnath, must have rediscovered essential moments of spiritual depth, something he consistently demonstrates in both principle and practice. His two-night stay at Somnath was once again a moment of surrender not only to the divine effulgence of the shrine, but also to the struggles, sufferings, and resolve of all those who rebuilt it through centuries of turmoil.

Politically, his visit was sure to unsettle some. Unsurprisingly, irritable responses emerged from selective corners opposing India’s efforts to reclaim its identity as a civilizational state, rather than one projected as having been trampled under the brutal footprints and hoof marks of relentless invasions. Somnath is a symbol. It narrates volumes about the self-rejection practiced by the political establishment under Prime Minister Nehru. It also symbolizes civilizational sensibility responding to the political insensibility of the regime of that era, which argued that governmental involvement in the temple’s resurrection would severely undermine the secular ethos of a pluralist society. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s indisputable political courage, unshakable foresight, and cultural self-respect ensured Somnath’s resurrection, giving it its present magnificent form.

A country’s culture and civilizational essence cannot be treated as a liability, or a disruptive baggage. It is enshrined with memories of the finest phases of its journey, and preserving it is a natural obligation. Yet India was compelled to pass through multiple regimes that were oblivious or indifferent to this historical truth. They believed civilizational identity should be buried beneath the erosion of time or deliberately disregarded. They succeeded in doing so. Centuries of unrest and decades of legal battles were still insufficient for these symbols of India’s civilizational existence to be revived. When resurrection of its cultural symbols finally occurred, generations had already paid a heavy price. With the naysayers shouting against the revamp of India’s civilizational antiquity through democratic and legislative intimidation, Modi’s effort is to unravel their selective amnesia.   

Prime Minister Modi was well aware that his stay at Somnath would once again churn political discourse, much like the recent flag hoisting at Ayodhya. This time, while he imbibed the spiritual munificence of the shrine, the visit also implicitly invoked Ghazni, keeping alive the memory of brutal invasions and successive resistance etched into history. Much remains to be done from the perspective of India as a civilizational state. Its vision should not be confined within the narrow boundaries of a mere political arrangement. The journey is expected to extend far beyond a defined sphere, with India revisiting what it had culturally lost over the centuries.

Efforts in this direction would undoubtedly be viewed as corrective measures. Yet, beyond mere optics, they have become an urgent necessity. Modi’s visit to Somnath, therefore, served as a reminder, one that accentuated the realities of the past while sharpening India’s focus on the future, without misreading its civilizational identity. The visit was an attempt to urge India’s populace to safeguard what is, inevitably, a priceless treasure.

His political opposition and its soothsayers would once again stand erect, not in reverence, but in contempt of what the Prime Minister of a secular country is poised to establish. What they failed to achieve while in power is precisely what Modi has been seeking to accomplish. This is what India wants.

India is no longer in a mode of denial about what it has lost in the past. Instead, it persistently amplifies a demand to resurrect, restore, and revive its spiritual conscience, without which even its journey toward becoming a “Vishwa Guru” will remain a mere fantasy. Modi knows this without the slightest hint of doubt.