India: No entry for non-Hindus’ to Somnath temple without permit in Gujarat

The Times of India

No entry for non-Hindus’ to Somnath temple without permit in Gujarat

Vijaysinh Parmar,TNN | Jun 3, 2015, 03.28 PM IST

Somnath Temple is one of the oldest pilgrimage in the country.

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RAJKOT: Now non-Hindus will have to take permission from office of general manager of Shree Somnath Trust before entering into Somnath Temple for darshan. It has been made mandatory to all non-Hindu pilgrims.

Shree Somnath Trust, which manages ancient Somnath temple, put up a prominent notice board at the temple campus on the coastal town of Gir-Somnath district.

The notice reads: "The Somnath Jyotirling Tirthdham is holy place for Hindus. In this holy place of Hindus, non-Hindus will only be allowed for Darshan in Somnath temple who have taken permission from General Manager's office." The notice has been issued on behalf of Somnath Trust.

Somnath temple stands at the shore of the Arabian Sea on the western corner of the Subcontinent on Saurashtra. This pilgrimage is one of the oldest in the country.

Shree Somnath Trust is first among the twelve Aadi Jyotirlings of India. The pran-Pratishtha at the existing temple was done in 1951 by the then President of India Dr Rajendra Prashad.

Importantly, Shree Somnath Trust's chairman is former chief minister Keshubhai Patel and its trustees includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former chief secretary of Gujarat P K Laheri and former deputy prime minister L K Advani.

L K Advani had kicked off his Rathyatra from this temple town in 1991 which followed by Babri Mosque demolition in Ayodhya which triggered country wide communal riots.

TOI repeated tried to contact General Manager Vijaysinh Chavda for his comments but he could not be contacted.