After night-long meditation at Kedarnath cave, PM Modi heads to Badrinath

After night-long meditation at a holy cave near Kedarnath Temple, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Badrinath Temple today. PM Modi is on his 2-day visit to the two most important temples according to ancient Hindu scriptures. The pilgrimage of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri located in Uttarakhand are also known as chhota char dham yatra. The Prime Minister had taken special permission from the Election Commission for the trip as it coincides with the final phase voting of the Lok Sabha Elections that will seal the fate of 59 seats across India.

This is Modi's fourth visit to the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the last two years. The portals of Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines reopened for devotees earlier this month after the winter break. Located at a height of 11,755 feet near the Mandakini river, Kedarnath shrine witnessed terrible devastation in 2013 cloudbursts and flooding, which is also known as ‘Himalayan Tsunami’. 

It should be noted that rebuilding of Kedarnath complex has been one of most important projects for PM Modi. In 2014, soon after taking over as new PM, Modi had laid the foundation stones of five reconstruction projects and hit out at the Congress, saying he was not allowed to carry out redevelopment work after the 2013 deluge when he was Gujarat chief minister. As chief minister of Gujarat, Modi said he had offered to take the responsibility of reconstructing areas surrounding the temple when the tragedy had struck in 2013, killing thousands of people

PM Modi has always spoken about his days spent in Himalayas during his early years. He has often got nostalgic remembering his days in Garurchatti near Kedarnath before he entered politics. "They were important moments of my life,” PM Modi was once quoted as saying.