Somnath (Gujarat), Jan 10 (PTI) A mega drone show featuring several planned thematic formations, including huge images of Lord Shiva and a 'shivling', and a 3D depiction of the Somnath temple, is set to light up the night sky near the ancient shrine in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district on Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived here in the evening on a two-day visit to the temple town, will witness the show, being held as part of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, officials said.
The event is being billed as one of the largest drone shows hosted in the proximity of a temple site in the country, people familiar with the matter said.
“According to the plan, the show will feature 3,000 drones and last around 15 minutes. The planned thematic formations include the depiction of Lord Shiva, as also of a big 'shivaling',” a person familiar with the matter told PTI.
The show will also feature an assemblage of drone making “a 3D depiction of the Somnath temple” to mark the festival, the officials said. The depicted temple will have a floating width of about 370 metres, they said.
The image of Lord Shiva to be portrayed mid-air through a choreographed assembly of drones will vertically span about 280 metres, while the 'shivaling' will span 330 metres, the person quoted above said.
The show is being executed by BotLab, an IIT Delhi-incubated tech company, which earlier organised drone shows on various landmark occasions, including in Ayodhya in January 2024, when the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of the Ram temple was held.
The drone show has been built as a “thematic aerial narrative”, combining spirituality, history and national identity through precision-controlled light formations, a BptLab team member said.
The sequence reflects Somnath’s journey across centuries, from cosmic origins to contemporary India, the tech firm said.
Other planned formations, each aligned with a specific historical or spiritual theme, include 'Cosmos and Planets: Representing eternity and Somnath’s place within cosmic time', 'Damru, Om, and Trishul: Core Shaivite symbols establishing the spiritual tone', and 'Shiv Tandav: Depicting divine energy and balance', it said.
The plan is also to have a formation that represents the text ‘Akhand Somnath, Akhand Bharat’, representing civilisational continuity, the company representative said.
The main road leading to the Somnath temple, from the Shankh Circle to the Veer Hamirji Gohil Circle, which bears a statue of Veer Hamirji Gohil, a 16th-century Rajput warrior known for his sacrifice defending the Somnath temple against invaders, has been decked up with hoardings, banners and posters commemorating the occasion.
Many huge banners put up in the city bear the festival’s name and ‘Akhand Somnath, Akhand Bharat’ inscribed on them. On Saturday, Prime Minister Modi will participate in Omkar mantra chanting at the temple.