Modi meditates for 17 hours in Kedarnath
| Date :20-May-2019 |
KEDARNATH:
Modi said, he was completely cut off from the world inside the specially-created cave, which was furnished with amenities such as power, an attached toilet, a telephone, a CCTV etc
“There was no communication, only a small window through which I could see the temple... I did not ask for anything from Baba Kedarnath. God has made us self-sufficient beings who are able to give rather than ask,” he said
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday performed puja at the Kedanath shrine after meditating for 17 hours at a holy cave near the temple. He reached the shrine situated at a height of 11,755 feet near the Mandakini river on Saturday and paid obeisance. The Prime Minister went inside a cave near the shrine to medidate. Draped in a saffron shawl, Modi was seen meditating at the holy cave. He also took stock of development work in the temple town.
Modi also offered prayers at the Badrinath temple on Sunday, the last day of his two-day visit to Uttarakhand. He reached Badrinath after spending around 20 hours at the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath. Modi offered prayers at the innermost sanctum in Badrinath, another temple in Uttarakhand’s ‘char dham’ religious circuit, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The priests and purohits chanted Vedic hymns while the Prime Minister offered prayers. Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chief Mohan Prasad Thapliyal said the Prime Minister offered prayers at the temple for around 20 minutes and was given a greeting card made on a “bhojpatra” (birch leaves) by the temple’s priests. He was also given a shawl by the residents of Mana village, he said. The Prime Minister took a walk inside the temple complex and later, shook hands with the devotees and locals, Thapliyal said, adding that Modi also met pilgrims waiting near the shrine.
Modi said he was completely cut off from the world inside the specially-created cave, which was furnished with amenities such as power, an attached toilet, a telephone, a CCTV etc. “There was no communication, only a small window through which I could see the temple,” he said. After offering prayers at Kedarnath shrine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday interacted with media and said his mission is to carry out developmental work in the region. “My mission here is that we should look into ‘prakriti, pariyavaran’ and ‘pariyatan’ (nature, environment, and tourism). Fortunately, I have a hard-working team. I thank the media also for covering this region as it will help to boost tourism here. I usually take a stock of progress made in this area via video conferencing,”
Modi said. When asked if he prayed for his victory in the Lok Sabha elections, the Prime Minister said, “I did not ask for anything from Baba Kedarnath. God has made us self-sufficient beings who are able to give rather than ask.” Urging citizens to travel India he said, “I want people of our nation to see the country. While I do not have any objection to them travelling to foreign countries but they should also travel to see the different places in our country.” The Prime Minister also said that he has a special relationship with Kedarnath and added that he had made a master-plan for the re-development of the region after the 2013 floods.
Members of the committee met the Prime Minister at the shrine’s guest house and submitted a memorandum stressing upon the need to expand the temple’s premises and improving telecommunication services at Badrinath. Modi asked temple authorities to play an active role in providing better facilities to pilgrims visiting the shrine, Thapliyal said. The Prime Minister reached Badrinath on an IAF helicopter, which landed at an Army helipad near the shrine, and reached the temple by road, he said, adding that stringent security arrangements were in place. The Election Commission gave its nod to Modi’s visit while “reminding” the Prime Minister’s Office that the Model Code of conduct is still in force. Polling for the seventh and the last phase of the general election was held Sunday.