Gangaikonda 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.”