Gandhinagar, July 15 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister, Bhupendra Patel, marked his 64th birthday on Wednesday with prayers at the Dada Bhagwan Trimandir in Adalaj, where he sought blessings for the health, happiness and prosperity of the people of the state and for Gujarat’s continued all-round development.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Patel began the day by visiting the Trimandir complex in Gandhinagar district. He paid homage at the memorials of Pujya Dada Bhagwan and Pujya Niruma before offering prayers at the temple.

During the visit, he worshipped the deities and performed ‘Jalabhishek’, the ritual offering of water, at the Shiva temple within the complex.

The Chief Minister also interacted with and greeted devotees present on the temple premises.

Sharing details of his birthday observance on social media, Patel said he also had the opportunity to participate virtually in the worship of Shri Somnath Mahadev, the first of the 12 Jyotirlingas.

“Today, on my birthday, I had the privilege of witnessing a virtual darshan of Shri Somnath Mahadev, the first Jyotirlinga, and participating in the Mahapuja. The Rudrabhishek and special worship of Shri Somnath Mahadev performed by the temple trust priests were moments filled with immense devotion,” he wrote on X.

Patel further said that he had registered for the ‘Swabhiman Parv’ special Mahapuja, an initiative launched at the Somnath temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I also registered for the ‘Swabhiman Parv’ special Mahapuja launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Somnath. It is my firm resolve to visit the Somnath temple in person to seek the blessings of Mahadev for this Mahapuja,” he said.

The birthday observances came as Patel received greetings from political leaders across the country, including Prime Minister Modi and Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah.

Responding to their messages earlier in the day, the Chief Minister reaffirmed Gujarat’s commitment to contributing to the national vision of ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047’ under the Prime Minister’s leadership.

Patel, who was born on July 15, 1962, has served as Gujarat’s Chief Minister since September 2021 and has been leading the state for a second consecutive term following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the 2022 Assembly elections.

A civil engineer by training, he represents the Ghatlodia Assembly constituency and previously held key positions in Ahmedabad’s municipal administration, including as chairman of the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority.

–IANS

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