Prabhas Patan: The Shri Somnath Trust has strongly condemned a protest that took place at the office of its General Manager following the visit of Droupadi Murmu, describing the incident as “unfortunate” and “against the spirit of Indian culture.” The Trust’s statement comes after Sompura Brahmins held a protest, accusing the Trust of sidelining traditional temple priests during the President’s visit.

On October 10, when the President visited the Somnath Temple, students of the temple’s Sanskrit Pathshala stood in a corner of the Sabha Mandap and welcomed her with a brief recitation of auspicious Vedic mantras. The Trust clarified that this initiative was aimed at giving children practical exposure to Sanskrit and strengthening their cultural values. For this reason, students are encouraged to chant mantras during visits of distinguished guests.

However, the Trust expressed deep regret that certain self-interested elements in Prabhas Patan opposed this pure and innocent chanting by children. On Friday, a group of nearly 100 people allegedly entered the office of the Trust’s General Manager without permission and staged an unjustified protest against the children’s Vedic recitation, the Trust said.

“This act is not merely an objection to children but an insult to the larger mission of promoting Sanskrit education,” the Trust said in its statement. The protesting group reportedly demanded that students from the Pathshala should not be allowed to chant mantras on the temple premises in the future.

Meanwhile, according to the priest community, 11 traditional tirth purohits were initially invited to be part of the ceremony but were informed around 11 p.m. the night before that they would not be allowed to participate. Instead, 40 students from the Pathshala were permitted to enter the temple premises.

The priests allege that this was a deliberate act of exclusion. A video of the heated exchange at the General Manager’s office has gone viral. They have also warned that they will continue their fast until the matter is resolved.

However, in its statement, the Trust clarified that it imparts knowledge of Sanskrit, Puranas, Vedas, and Vedangas to children from all communities without any discrimination. It firmly stated that no compromise will be made regarding the future of its students and that all decisions related to the Pathshala will be taken solely by the Trust. DeshGujarat