Cholapuram: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Operation Sindoor showed the world the way India would respond if its sovereignty was attacked and that the cross-border military offensive has created a new self-confidence across the country.
Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, also proved that for enemies and terrorists targeting India, there is no safe haven, Modi said in his address at an event here to honour the Tamil emperor Rajendra Chola-I.
The event marks the birth anniversary of the Rajendra Chola-I which is celebrated as the ‘Aadi Thiruvathirai’ (the birth star of the king is Thiruvathirai in the Tamil month of Aadi) festival. Also, it commemorates 1,000 years of Rajendra Chola’s legendary maritime expedition to South East Asia and the commencement of the construction of the Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple, a magnificent example of Chola architecture.
“The world saw how India responds if someone attacks its security and sovereignty,” he said about the military strikes at chosen targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.
Further, he said: “Operation Sindoor proved that for enemies of India, for terrorists, there is no safe haven. When I came here from the helipad, the 3-4 km distance suddenly became a roadshow, and everyone was praising Op Sindoor. It has created a new awakening, a new self-confidence across the country. The world has to realise India’s strength.”
Modi further said the names of emperors Raja Raja Chola, and his son Rajendra Chola-I are synonymous with India’s identity and pride and announced that grand statues would be built for them in Tamil Nadu. These statues will be “modern pillars of our historic awakening.”
The honour for the iconic Tamil kings follows Modi’s several Tamil-centric initiatives including the Kashi Tamil Sangamam
and multi-language and braille translations of Thirukkural, Manimekalai and other classic Tamil literature.
“The Chola emperors had woven India into a thread of cultural unity. Today, our government is carrying forward the same vision of the Chola era. Through initiatives like the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam and the Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamam, we are strengthening these centuries-old bonds of unity,” the PM said.
Further, Modi said several people spoke about UK’s Magna Carta while commenting on democracy. However, the Chola-era ‘Kudavolai system’ predated it by centuries, he said. Clearly, the prime minister continued with his Tamil pitch by invoking the rich legacy of Chola kings and their patronage of Saivite spiritualism.
The PM said: “Our Shaivite tradition has played a vital role in shaping India’s cultural identity. The Chola emperors were key architects of this legacy. Even today, Tamil Nadu remains one of the most significant centres where this living tradition continues to thrive.”
The PM said operation Sindoor has raised a new confidence in the people of India and the whole world is witnessing it. On the legacy of Rajendra Chola, he said, out of deep respect, the temple gopuram was built lower than that of his father’s Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur.
Despite his achievements, Rajendra Chola exemplified humility. “Today’s New India embodies this same spirit—becoming stronger, yet rooted in values of global welfare and unity”, the Prime Minister said.
Noting that July 27 marks the death anniversary of former President A P J Abdul Kalam, Modi remarked that in order to lead a developed India, the country needs millions of youth like Kalam and the Chola kings.
Listening to the rendition of spiritual hymns by Odhuvamurthys (Saivite gurus) and a Shiva-chant concert by music maestro Ilaiyaraja, the PM said the the spiritual atmosphere deeply moved the soul. Amid chants of Vedic and Saivite Thirumurai, Modi prayed at the Lord Shiva temple here, built by Rajendra Chola-I to mark his victories and the founding of a new city Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow here on Sunday soon after his arrival to preside over the function to mark the birth anniversary of Rajendra Chola.
During the roadshow, the prime minister stood on the running board of his vehicle and waved at the people who lined up on both sides of the road.
Workers of the BJP and AIADMK enthusiastically gathered on roadsides and they showered flowers and petals on Prime Minister Modi all through the 3-kilometer road show route; the flags of the BJP and AIADMK fluttered.
The prime minister released a commemorative coin honouring Rajendra Chola I, and attended the launch of the Tamil Gita album, facilitated by the Chinmaya Mission, remarking that the initiative energises the nation’s resolve to preserve its heritage. The PM also released a booklet on “Thirumurai recital,” (recital of Saivite hymns).
The prime minister arrived in Tuticorin on July 26 night and inaugurated, laid foundation stones for projects worth about Rs 4,900 crore. On Sunday, he presided over the Aadi Thiruvathirai festival’s grand finale here, which commenced on July 23. The event is an initiative of the Union Ministry of Culture/the ASI which maintains the Chola-era Lord Shiva temple here. Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Ariyalur district is near Kumbakonam in the Cauvery delta region of Tamil Nadu.
After completing his 2-day engagements in Tamil Nadu, the prime minister left for Delhi on July 27 from Tiruchirappali, where he stayed on Saturday night.
