The Prime Minister recently inaugurated the new Circuit House near Somnath Temple at Veraval. Which of the following statements are correct regarding Somnath Temple ?
- 1.Somnath Temple is one of the Jyotirlinga shrines.
- 2.A description of Somnath Temple was given by Al-Biruni.
- 3.Pran Pratishtha of Somnath Temple (installation of the present day temple) was done by President S. Radhakrishnan.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Show answer
Answer: A. Statement 1 is correct: Somnath is the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Statement 2 is correct: Al-Biruni described Somnath in his Kitab-ul-Hind. Statement 3 is wrong: the pran pratishtha of the present temple in 1951 was done by President Rajendra Prasad, not S. Radhakrishnan. So 1 and 2.
Watch for: Students may mix up the two early Presidents; it was Rajendra Prasad at Somnath.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Wrong because statement 3 is incorrect and statement 1 is missing.
- C. Wrong because statement 3 is incorrect.
- D. Wrong because statement 3 is incorrect.
Source to check: Shree Somnath Trust website (somnath.org), temple history; PIB release on Somnath Circuit House, January 2022
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.