Just like Ambaji temple, Somnath temple in Gujarat will also shine golden in some days. The temple trust is planning to gold plate all the 72 pillars of this historical temple. Not all at once, but they will begin to imply this initiative with 10 pillars in the first phase.
On Tuesday, a pre-fabricated structure made of gold and designed by artisans arrived in Somnath. According to the sources, "the structure is designed by the national capital. And approx 30 Kg gold will be used for plating all the 10 pillars,". The sanctum sanctorum and two doors of the temple are already gold plated. Along with the prong and Lord Shiva’s damru on the peak of the temple.
Trustee-secretary of Somnath temple P K Lahiri said, “The work of gold plating has been assigned to artists from New Delhi. They first made the design on copper and then a ready-to-install structure. In the first phase, we have chosen 10 out of the total 72 pillars for gold plating.”
The process of gold plating on these historical pillars is really very interesting. The general manager of the temple Vijaysinh Chavda said, “First, these artists emboss the carving and exact structure of the pillar on copper with the use of plaster of paris (POP). They prepare a sheet of copper and deposit the layer of gold on its surface. This entire structure is installed on the pillar then.”
The temple trust is working this initiative out on the behalf of all the donation they receive on the yearly basis. They purchased the yellow metal in Delhi, “As the donation for this gold plating keeps coming, we will complete the rest of the pillars,” said Chavda.