The Prime Minister recently inaugurated the new Circuit House near Somnath Temple at Veraval. Which of the following statements are correct regarding Somnath Temple? 1. Somnath Temple is one of the Jyotirlinga shrines. 2. A description of Somnath Temple was given by Al-Biruni. 3. Pran Pratishtha of Somnath Temple (installation of the present day temple) was done by President S. Radhakrishnan. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Answer: A. Statements 1 and 2 are correct; Statement 3 is wrong. The SOMNATH TEMPLE in Veraval (Saurashtra coast of Gujarat) is one of India's most historic Shiva shrines. Statement 1 is CORRECT. Somnath is the FIRST of the TWELVE JYOTIRLINGA shrines of Lord Shiva. The traditional Dwadasa Jyotirlinga list begins with 'Saurashtre Somnatham cha'. Statement 2 is CORRECT. AL-BIRUNI, the great 11th-century Persian polymath, who travelled to India with Mahmud of Ghazni's invasions, DESCRIBED THE SOMNATH TEMPLE in his work TARIKH AL-HIND ('Kitab al-Hind'). He recorded the temple's wealth, its idol, and its destruction by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1025-26 CE. His account is a key source for medieval Indian history. Statement 3 is WRONG. The Pran Pratishtha (consecration) of the present-day RECONSTRUCTED Somnath Temple, completed under the leadership of SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL and K. M. MUNSHI, was performed by PRESIDENT DR. RAJENDRA PRASAD on 11 May 1951. NOT by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (who was Vice-President at the time; he became President only in 1962). Famously, Prime Minister Nehru disapproved of the President's participation but Rajendra Prasad attended in his personal capacity. Source: NCERT Class 12 Themes in Indian History Part I (Through the Eyes of Travellers) / Romila Thapar, Somanatha: The Many Voices of a History.