Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted the 1,000-year journey of Gujarat’s Modhera Sun Temple and its transformation into India’s first 24×7 solar village in the 138th episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat.

Modi recalled that the Sun Temple, built in 1025 by King Bhimdev I, was attacked and destroyed in 1026 AD by Mahmud of Ghazni — the same year he destroyed the Somnath Temple — and was rebuilt shortly after. He said the temple also faced later attacks, including during the period of Alauddin Khilji, but its legacy endured.

The Prime Minister said that same spirit of resilience is reflected in Modhera’s rise as India’s first “Surya Gram,” a village that now runs round the clock on solar energy. The solar village initiative, inaugurated by Modi in 2022, equipped the Mehsana district village with a 6 MW solar plant backed by battery storage, with rooftop panels on every household.

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav echoed the remarks on Sunday, noting that Modhera has presented a model of sustainability before the nation. The episode underlines the government’s push to position decentralised, storage-backed solar as a pillar of India’s renewable energy ambitions.