Somnath Mandir Veraval City Junagadh District Gujarat India

Eight Mandirs in Gujarat to be decorated by colorful lighting.

The government of Gujarat has taken a decision to decorate eight Hindu Mandir in state with colorful lighting during Diwali and also to continue this decoration across the year to boost the tourism.

State Tourism minister Jaynarayan Vyas today took this decision in a meeting attended by district collectors of Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Godhra, Surendranagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Kheda districts.

While Ambaji Mandir will be decorated with solar powered light, Dwarka Mandir will be decorated with power saving system at a cost of Rs.14 lakh.

Junagadh district’s Somnath Mandir, Sabarkantha district’s Shamlaji Mandir, Kheda’s Dakor Mandir, Mehsana’s Bahucharaji, Surendranagar’s Chotila Mandir, Pavagadh’s Mahakali Mandir will also be decorated with colorful light according to shape of the respective Mandir.

Somnath Temple Mandir Veraval Junagadh District News Gujarat India

LK Advani renews temple pledge on Rathyatra's 20th anniversary.

Despite the Ram Mandir issue failing to cut much ice with voters, senior BJP Leader L K Advani today reaffirmed his commitment to building the temple at Ayodhya.

"Today, I have come to Somnath Mandir Veraval to offer my prayers on the 20th anniversary of my Rathyatra. Ram temple should be and will be built at Ayodhya," Advani said after offering prayers.

It was from here on September 25, 1990, that he had launched his Ram Rathyatra, which, though ending abruptly with his arrest in Bihar, had put the BJP firmly on the road to power.

"I visit Somnath every year this day and will continue to do so till Ram temple comes up at Ayodhya," Advani, who was accompanied by his daughter Pratibha, said.

Somnath Temple Veraval Junagadh District News Samachar Gujarat India

Gujarat gets high-tech boat for coastal security.

To boost security along the 1,600-km long Gujarat coastline, the Centre has allotted a state-of-the-art patrol boat, which has been placed under the Somnath marine police station in Junagadh district.

Junagadh Superintendent of Police Maninder Singh Puwar launched the boat on Saturday.

He also took stock of the various aspects of marine security.

“The fully equipped high speed patrol boat will help to take effective steps,” he said.

According to Puwar, with the trial run of the boat, marine patrolling has begun. It will, however, take a couple of more days for the round-the-clock patrolling to begin, as registration of the boat and other legalities are yet to be completed.

Officials said the boat cost Rs 2.5 crore and can run at the maximum speed of 40 nautical miles per hour.

It is equipped with radar, ground positioning system, wireless, sound system and floodlights among others.

Apart from a four-member crew, the boat can accommodate 16 security personnel. A retired Navy Captain has been appointed to look after the maintenance and operation of the boat, said officials.

The boat will patrol the entire coastal belt under the jurisdiction of the Somnath Mandir marine police station.

Adequate staff will be posted soon to do the round-the-clock patrolling in three shifts, the officials added.

Somnath Temple-Mandir Veraval Junagadh News

Pilgrims throng Saurastra temples. The new moon day of this year's solar eclipse also marked the beginning of the Shravan month considered as the most auspicious month of the Hindu calendar.

With this, thousands of pilgrims, including those from non-resident Gujarati community, have started flocking to various temples of Saurashtra, Somnath and Dwarka being the main attractions.

"Pilgrims from across the country as far as Chhattisgadh and Bengal have arrived at the temple to offer their prayers.

About 1,000 Bramhins have come from Rajasthan to offer their services for ritual," said Somnath temple priest Dipak Trivedi.

The ceremony started with the ritual of "Mahapuja" in which 130 devotees of Lord Shiva offered "Bili Patra", a sacred leaf. The temple management had organized an online show of this event to facilitate those pilgrims abroad who could not come.

Shravan month was also celebrated in Amreli with thousands of pilgrims visiting Nagnath Mahadev, Bhimnath Mahadev and Jivanmukteshwer temples. Ritual of Mahapuja was the highlight of Swayambhu Jadeshwer Mahadev temple in Wankaner and Sureshwer Dhareshwer Mahadev temple in Gondal.

Meanwhile, Jamnagar district collectorate of Dwarka and management board of Jagat Mandir in Dwarka have begun preparations for the Janmashthami celebrations.

Devotees have already started thronging the town to attend the celebrations. In a recently convened meeting attended by Rajya Sabha MP and Dwarkadhish Devasthan Samiti chief Parimal Nathwani and collector VP Patel, preparations for the big day's events were discussed.

"We will make provisions for the security of the temple and devotees, special arrangement for lodging, boarding and transportation of devotees like, extra bus services and trains," said a district official. Also on the agenda was the elaborate and ornate decoration of the temple building by Nathwani and the town's Nagarpalika chief.

Junagadh Festivals - turns into a tourist hotspot during season

Junagadh(Saurastra) has become a hotspot for tourists during the holiday season.

In the last five days, thousands of tourists from across the state have visited famous tourist sites here, particularly the Somnath Temple, Gir Forests, Girnar Mountains, holiday camp sites at Chorwad and Madhavpur beaches and the Sakkarbaug Zoo among other places.

During this festive season, the Railways and the state transport earned remarkable income and transported lakhs of passengers.

Y P Jani, Deputy Station Superintendent, Junagadh Railway Station, said: “Since the last five days, the Railways’ income, on an average, has been rupees three lakh per day. Some 30,000 passengers have travelled by train in the last five days.”

The state transport division also reported a similar increase in passenger numbers. A state transport official from the Junagadh bus station said the state transport (ST) recorded a daily passenger base of one lakh. “The ST earned an income of Rs 6 lakh per day at Junagadh during the last five days,” the official said.

V J Rana, Director, Sakkarbaug Zoo, Junagadh, said: “Over 50,000 tourists visited the zoo from October 28 to November 1. The zoo registered an income of Rs five lakh during this period.”