Ekta Nagar Lights Up as Bharat Parv 2026 Opens Under PM Modi

Ekta Nagar in Gujarat's Narmada district came alive on Friday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally opened Bharat Parv 2026. The cultural festival, organised as part of National Unity Day celebrations, will continue until November 15 and will feature the traditions, folk arts, cuisine, handicrafts and tourism of states and Union Territories across the country.

The festival is built on the idea of national unity and 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'. It offers every state and Union Territory a chance to present its cultural identity and tourism potential. The event is also expected to give a fresh push to tourism in Ekta Nagar and the areas around it.

The Prime Minister will later visit the 'Ekta Prakash Parv', a festival of lights dedicated to India's unity, diversity, cultural legacy and progress.

The highlight of the illumination is a 530-metre lit route on the Valley of Flowers Road, themed 'From Ancient India to Modern India'. Alongside it stands a 180-metre glow tunnel that depicts the culture, architecture, folk dance, handicrafts and lifestyles of the country's four regions. The displays use more than 1.5 crore LED lights, and artists from across the nation have created the artworks.

Later in the evening, around 8:15 pm, the Prime Minister will join the Narmada Aarti at the Shulpaneshwar Narmada Ghat. The Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority spent Rs 15.10 crore on the ghat, which now serves 6,000 visitors at a time, up from 4,000, with seating for about 2,000 people.

On Saturday, October 31, the Prime Minister will pay homage at the Statue of Unity on the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the country's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. He will then inaugurate and lay foundation stones for 31 tourism and infrastructure projects costing Rs 426.71 crore in total.