  We discuss how in $SO(10)$ grand unification an observable number density of
topologically stable intermediate mass ( $\sim 10^{14}$ GeV) monopoles survive
inflation driven by a Coleman-Weinberg potential and non-minimal coupling of
the inflaton field to gravity. The scalar spectral index $n_s$ is in excellent
agreement with the current observations, and the tensor to scalar ratio
$r\gtrsim 0.003$. The model also predicts the presence of intermediate scale
topologically stable cosmic strings, and their gravitational wave spectrum
reflects the amount of cosmic inflation experienced by the associated symmetry
breaking. The discovery of these primordial monopoles and the stochastic
gravitational wave background from the strings would provide important new
insights regarding the symmetry breaking patterns in the early universe.
