PM Narenda Modi meditates during his visit to Kedarnath

BADRINATH: Amid controversy over his visit to Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines during the ‘silent period’ for the last leg of polling, PM Narendra Modi on Sunday thanked the Election Commission for giving him two days that allowed him to visit Uttarakhand and “meditate in a cave” near the ancient shrine.

After offering prayers at the Kedarnath temple and spending 17 hours at a cave near the shrine, Modi said, “I did not ask for anything. I don’t believe in asking for, because God only wants us to give... all I want is Baba Kedarnath bestows his blessings not just upon India but the entire mankind.” Modi said he remained cut off from the outside world as there was no communication link to the cave he stayed in and he kept looking at the Kedarnath shrine through a small window in the cave.

The cave, located over 1.5 km away from the shrine, offers a spectacular view of the ancient temple. It has a small room, attached washroom and other facilities like power and water.

Vacation at Kedarnath, not Dubai or Singapore : PM

Draped in a saffron shawl, Modi was seen meditating inside the cave. He came out of the cave at 7 am on Sunday and then left for Badrinath, where he ended his two-day visit to the state.

Sharing his development model for Uttarakhand, Modi said, “The model has emphasis on three aspects — natural, environment and tourism. At Kedarnath, the work is going at good pace. I have got a very good team here and they are working tirelessly.”

Pleased with the arrangements at Kedarnath, Modi exhorted people to visit the shrine. “During vacations, people plan to visit Singapore and Dubai, but I would like people of our country to visit Kedarnath and spend some time here,” said Modi.

“I am fortunate to have visited the temple on multiple occasions,” he said, while thanking the media for taking out time to go to Kedarnath at a time when the poll process is underway. The media’s presence, Modi said, will send a message that the town has been developed well.

Later, PM Modi boarded an IAF chopper at 10 am to reach Badrinath where he offered prayers at the temple.

Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee chief Mohan Prasad Thapliyal said the PM 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 PM took a walk inside the temple complex and later shook hands with devotees and locals, Thapliyal said, adding that Modi also met pilgrims waiting near the shrine.



In Video: PM Narendra Modi seeks blessings at Kedarnath