On July 13, 2026, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, flagged off a special train from Harrawala Railway Station in Dehradun as part of the Somnath Swabhiman Yatra initiative of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The train is carrying 700 devotees from various parts of Uttarakhand to the sacred Somnath Temple in Veraval, Gujarat.
Present on the occasion were dignitaries, including Ms Madhu Bhatt, Vice President of the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Literature and Arts Council; Shri Yugal Kishor Panth, Secretary of the Government of Uttarakhand; and local MLAs Shri Braj Bhushan and Shri Suresh Gadiya.
In his address, Hon'ble CM highlighted the enthusiasm among the pilgrims and expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for organising this sacred journey. He emphasised the yatra as a reflection of national pride and a connection between Adi Kailash and Somnath, stating that it symbolises India's resilience and resurgence despite historical challenges.
This special pilgrimage marks 1000 years of India's unwavering faith & civilisational pride and commemorates 75 years since the restoration and reopening of the Somnath Temple in 1951. Somnath Swabhiman Parv is a nationwide initiative by the Ministry of Culture, enabling citizens to reconnect with India’s spiritual and cultural heritage through various organised yatras across the country. So far, more than 8 such yatras have already been successfully flagged off from Odisha, New Delhi, Chhattisgarh, J&K, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
