KEDARNATH (UTTARAKHAND): A day after Diwali celebrations in Nowshera with jawans and Army officials near the Line of Control (LoC) of Rajouri Army Division, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reached Kedarnath early morning to offer prayers inside the shrine and inaugurate development projects in Uttarakhand.
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His visit on Friday to Kedarnath is part of a promise made in 2017 by him to rebuild the Shanti Sthal (peace memorial), in memory of Guru Adi Shankaracharya, that was damaged in the 2013 flash floods near Mandakini river at Rudraprayag district.
एक समय था जब आध्यात्म को, धर्म को केवल रूढ़ियों से जोड़कर देखा जाने लगा था।
लेकिन, भारतीय दर्शन तो मानव कल्याण की बात करता है, जीवन को पूर्णता के साथ, holistic way में देखता है।
आदि शंकराचार्य जी ने समाज को इस सत्य से परिचित कराने का काम किया: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021
Guru Adi Shankaracharya, the 8th-century seer, had attained Moksha at Kedarnath.
This is PM’s fifth trip to Kedarnath, previous was during the last phase of 2019 Lok Sabha elections. His visit today brought back memories of his eventful meditation when he spent 15 hours in solitude at an isolated cave at the Kedernath shrine.
Speaking at Kedarnath. Watch. https://t.co/QtCLIbRZy7
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 5, 2021
Modi had then told media,” I have an old relationship with this place. That’s why I keep coming back to this shrine”.
On Friday, PM unveiled a 12-feet statue of Adi Shankaracharya that weighs 35 tonnes. Work on this had begun in 2019.
PM on Friday was accompanied by Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
He inaugurated key infrastructure projects worth Rs 400 crore in Kedarpuri at the Himalayan temple.
This includes Saraswati Retaining Wall aastha path, ghats, Mandakini Retaining Wall Aasthapath, Tirth Purohit houses and Garud Chatti bridge on river Mandakini worth Rs 130 crore.
We are proud to fulfil our promise keeping in faith of crores of people. Shankaracharya’s blessings will give his energy. We have ensured that this event is streamed live at the 12 jyotirlingas, four Shankaracharya mutts (monasteries), his birthplace and several prominent temples across the country.
“In our traditions, we say in Sanskriti — Awa Hanam, Na janami. Visarjanam. Poojam, jaivana janami. Samashva parmaeshvaram. I seek blessings of all of you in today’s work,” he added.
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Ever since the historic reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir and annulment of article 370 — that was part of BJP’s poll manifesto — on August 5 , 2019, Modi government has scheduled launch of various religious-infra projects on the fifth day of a month in the recent past. On August 5, 2020, PM had laid the foundation stone of Ram Temple in Ayodhya after setting up of a Teeerth Kshetra Trust.