More than 650 hectares of Uttarakhand land in grip of forest fires
Though no loss of life has been reported so far, officials say with the rise in mercury level the blaze is going out of control.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Uttarakhand, offered his prayers at the Kedarnath temple on Saturday morning, before proceeding on a trek to a holy cave near the shrine, where he will be staying the night. He was photographed meditating inside the Kedarnath meditation cave, and the social media cannot stop talking about it.
The cave is hogging all the limelight. Not many, apart from a few selected sadhus, used to visit the place, located in an isolated spot on the Kedarnath hills, before.
Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi meditates at a holy cave near #Kedarnath in #Uttarakhand . pic.twitter.com/6PFB62T9Xu
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— BJP Uttarakhand (@BJP4UK) May 18, 2019
Earlier in the day, the PM arrived in Kedarnath dressed in traditional Pahari clothes and spoke to officials about the ongoing Kedarnath Development Project.
The PM visit to the temple town comes a day before the seventh and last phase of the ongoing 2019 Lok Sabha elections. His constituency Varanasi, from where he is contesting the polls seeking a second term, votes on Sunday.
On his way to Kedarnath, Modi shared on Twitter several scenic photographs clicked from the flight.
According to a PTI report, the Prime Minister’s Office had sought views of the Election Commission on the two-day official visit to Uttarakhand ahead of the polls. The Election Commission reportedly gave its nod with a “reminder” that the model code of conduct was still in force.
Modi has visited the Lord Shiva shrine several times since he became the PM.
On Saturday, after offering prayers at the Shiva temple in the morning, he reviewed the Kedarnath Development Project and left for the meditation cave.
The renovation of the cave got completed last year.
Earlier, cement and stone were used for creating the outside wall. It was replaced with a cut stone wall.
Traditional hill architecture was used for modification. Cut stone was used on the front and the slate stone was used as the roof.
The cave, which is 18 feet long and 4-7 feet wide, can comfortably accommodate three persons. An attached toilet adds luxury to the cave.
The Uttarakhand government plans to develop many other such chambers which can be utilized by pilgrims and spiritual seekers.
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