On June 29, 2026, a special train under the Somnath Swabhiman Yatra, carrying 140 devotees, was flagged off from Jammu Tawi Railway Station by Shri Satish Sharma, Hon'ble Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Transport, Science & Technology, Information Technology, Youth Services & Sports, and ARI & Trainings Department, Government of Jammu & Kashmir. The six-day pilgrimage will take the devotees from the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir to the sacred Somnath Temple in Gujarat. The yatra has been organised by the Department of Culture, Government of Jammu & Kashmir, as part of the 'Somnath Swabhiman Yatra' campaign initiated by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
Devotees expressed happiness and gratitude as they embarked on the Somnath Swabhiman Yatra, describing it as the fulfilment of a long-cherished spiritual aspiration. Many said they had never imagined they would get an opportunity to visit the sacred Somnath Temple and appreciated the Government's initiative in making the pilgrimage possible.
The Ministry of Culture is organising year-long programmes at the district and state levels, as well as at all the 12 Jyotirlingas across the country to mark this significant occasion. The campaign commemorates 1,000 years of India's unwavering faith and resilience, bringing together devotees from every part of the country in collective reverence for this timeless cultural and spiritual heritage.
As part of the nationwide campaign, similar Somnath Swabhiman Yatras have been flagged off in recent months from several states and Union Territories, including Odisha, Rajasthan, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, enabling devotees from across the country to participate in this historic commemoration.
