| Temples & Legends Of Somanatha |
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| Temples & Legends Of India |
APPENDIX |
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canard was set afloat that the Saurashtra Government intended to spend a huge amount of
money on the reconstruction and though this was denied by the Chief Minister of the State,
it was played up in certain sections of the press. The association of the Jam Saheb
of Nawanagar as the President of the Somanatha Committee gave rise to much criticism. It was at this time that the Jam Saheb wrote a letter to Indian diplomats to send a pinch of soil, a few drops of water and twigs as were required for the prescribed ritual for installing a Jyotirlinga, from the respective countries to which they were accredited, so that the reinstallation might symbolise the unity of the world and the brotherhood of men. At least one of the diplomats felt that his secularism was in danger of being misunderstood and complained about it to the Prime Minister. Munshi was rightly regarded as the linchpin of the reconstruction of Somanatha, and the Prime Minister talked to him and even wrote to him about the new twist that was being given to the restoration of Somanatha. The subject was raised even at meetings of the Cabinet. On the 24th April 1951, Munshi wrote a letter to Jawaharlal Nehru, giving the various stages of the association of the administration of Junagadh, the Saurashtra Government and the Government of India with the re construction of Somanatha. The letter is a historic document and no apologies are needed for quoting material parts from it: |
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