Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) | Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his 45-hour-long meditation at the famed Vivekananda Rock Memorial here on Thursday evening, following completion of his two-months long high-pitch poll campaign across the country.
After arriving from nearby Thiruvananthapuram by a helicopter, Modi worshipped at the Bhagavathi Amman temple and reached the rock memorial by a ferry service and started meditation that is scheduled to go on till June 1.
Clad in a dhoti and a white shawl, Modi prayed at the temple and circumambulated the 'garbhagriha'. Priests performed a special 'arthi' and he was given temple 'prasad' that included a shawl and a framed photograph of the presiding deity of the temple.
Later, he reached the rock memorial by a ferry service operated by the state government-run shipping corporation and began his meditation at the 'dhyan mandapam.' Before he embarked on the dhyan exercise, for a while, Modi stood on the stairs leading to the mandapam that offers breathtaking views of the sea that surrounds the memorial from all sides.
The prime minister showered flowers on the portraits of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, mother Sri Sarada Devi and also paid floral tributes to
Swami Vivekananda, whose life-size statue on a high pedestal adores the mandapam. Modi later commenced the sadhana (spiritual practice) in the mandapam.
Speaking to reporters at Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai termed PM Modi's visit to the memorial as an out-and-out 'private' visit. "It is Prime Minister's personal visit," he said, adding that was why his party leaders and cadres did not take part in the event.
Ahead of his departure on June 1, Modi is likely to visit the Thiruvalluvar statue, next to the memorial. Both the memorial and 133-ft statue were built on tiny islets, that are separate and mound-like rocky formations in the sea.
While outfits including Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam staged a black flag demonstration in Madurai opposing Modi, social media platform 'X' also witnessed a flood of #GoBackModi posts, amid political opposition to the broadcast of his meditation in view of the final (seventh) phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections on June 1.
All arrangements, including heavy security, are in place for Modi's 45-hour stay at the famed memorial named after the revered Hindu saint. This is the first time the prime minister will be staying at the memorial, a monument built in tribute to Swami Vivekananda, who meditated over the rocks inside the sea towards the end of 1892.
While the PM chose Kedarnath cave to reflect and meditate following the
end of campaign in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, now he has chosen a spiritually significant place in the southernmost tip in the mainland of the country.
Following the culmination of the hectic Lok Sabha election campaign in which he presided and addressed a multitude of political events such as roadshows and rallies, Modi will be meditating in an ambience of quietude, where probably only the sound of breaking waves could be heard.
While security personnel teemed the memorial premises, security has been beefed up in the entire Kanyakumari district and about 2,000 police personnel have been deployed, besides heightened vigil by the Tamil Nadu police's Coastal Security Group, Coast Guard and the Navy.
Modi's meditation from the evening of Thursday to the evening of June 1 at dhyan mandapam is the place where Vivekananda -- a spiritual icon admired by the PM -- is believed to have had a divine vision about 'Bharat Mata'.
Pudukkottai (Tamil Nadu) | Union Home Minister Amit Shah offered prayers at the Kottai Bhairavar temple at Tirumayam here on Thursday.
He was accompanied by his wife Sonal Shah to the roadside temple for the darshan and puja. Priests at the temple welcomed the couple with shawls and garlands.
Shah's visit, which was earlier scheduled for April, exemplifies how he closely associated himself with Tamil culture and practices, BJP state chief K Annamalai said about the tour.
Located on the northern side of the Archaeological Survey of India-managed fort's outer walls, the Kottai Bhairavar temple is dedicated to Bhairavar, an aspect of Lord Siva.
Besides Annamalai, party seniors, including H Raja, were among those who received Shah upon his arrival here by road from the Tiruchirappalli airport.
The minister later left for Tirupati.
"On April 12, during the election campaign in TN, our Hon HM had to visit this temple but it was cancelled unfortunately due to adverse flying conditions," Annamalai said in a post on the social media platform X.
However, the union minister resolved that he would visit the temple and seek the blessings of Bhairavar before the end of the elections, he said. "His visit today exemplifies how he closely associates himself with our Tamil culture & practices," Annamalai said, posting photos of Shah's trip.
Shah visited the Sathya Giriswarar temple at Tirumayam, too.
Bengaluru | Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday refused to comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertaking a 45-hour long meditation in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari, saying it was the PM's private affair and why should anyone interfere into it.
Responding to a question, the state Congress chief said: "It is his private thing -- God, bhakti (devotion) -- why should we interfere? Why should we interfere in his prayers and meditation?"
Following the culmination of the hectic Lok Sabha election campaign in which he presided and addressed over a multitude of political events such as roadshows and rallies, Modi will be meditating in an ambience of quietude, where probably only the sound of breaking waves could be heard, till June 1.
While the PM chose Kedarnath cave to reflect and meditate following the end of the campaign in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, now he has chosen a spiritually significant place on the southernmost tip of the mainland of the country.
The Congress party had alleged on Wednesday that Modi was trying to "circumvent" the silence period restrictions, ahead of the June 1 last phase Lok Sabha polls, with his meditation trip and urged the Election Commission to ensure it is not aired by the media as it violates the model code of conduct.
