Srinagar, May 12 -- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's role in the rebuilding of the Somnath Temple remains one of the most defining illustrations of his statesmanship, cultural sensitivity, and firm commitment to national integration in the early years of independent India. At a time when the newly liberated nation was still fragile and searching for its identity, Patel's stand on Somnath reflected a deeper belief that political unity and civilisational continuity could coexist without undermining the secular framework of the Constitution. The Somnath Temple in Gujarat, historically destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, stood as a powerful symbol of resilience in Indian civilisational memory. After independence, the proposal for its reconstructi...