Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kanyakumari on Thursday to start a meditation retreat at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. Upon arriving, he first visited the Bhagavathy Amman Temple to offer prayers.
Meditation at Vivekananda Rock Memorial
Modi will meditate from Thursday evening until the evening of June 1 at the Dhyan Mandapam, a significant spot where the renowned Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda is believed to have had a divine vision of ‘Bharat Mata’.
Security has been significantly increased for the Prime Minister’s visit. Around 2,000 police officers will be on duty, and both the Indian Coast Guard and Bharatiya Navy will maintain strict surveillance. The beach will be closed to tourists from Thursday to Saturday, and private boats will not be permitted to operate, as reported.
PM Narendra Modi visits Bhagavathy Amman Temple in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, offering prayers. He is set to meditate from 30th May evening to 1st June evening at the Dhyan Mandapam, following the footsteps of Swami Vivekananda. #NarendraModi #Kanyakumari #TempleVisit #Meditation pic.twitter.com/Mb1vUQfN51
— Ritam English (@EnglishRitam) May 30, 2024
Upon his arrival in Kanniyakumari, Prime Minister Modi went directly to the Bhagavathi Amman temple. Dressed in traditional attire, a dhoti, and a white shawl, he offered prayers and performed a circumambulation of the ‘garbhagriha’ or sanctum sanctorum. The temple priests conducted a special ‘arthi’ ceremony for him, and he received temple ‘prasad,’ which included a shawl and a framed photograph of the temple’s presiding deity.
Prime Minister Modi has a tradition of undertaking spiritual journeys at the conclusion of election campaigns. In 2019, he visited Kedarnath, and in 2014, he traveled to Shivaji’s Pratapgarh. The ongoing Lok Sabha election is being conducted in seven phases starting from April 19, with the results scheduled to be announced on June 4.
Both PM Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are aiming for a victory that surpasses their performance in the 2019 elections.
Modi has taken similar breaks in the past after election campaigns. In 2014, he visited Pratapgarh, a site of historical significance due to a battle between the Maratha forces led by Shivaji and the Bijapur troops. In 2019, he meditated in a special cave in Kedarnath.
Final Phase of Lok Sabha Elections
Campaigning for the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections ended on Thursday evening. Voting will take place on June 1 in 57 constituencies across seven states and the Union territory of Chandigarh.
This includes all 13 seats in Punjab and four in Himachal Pradesh, as well as 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha, three in Jharkhand, and Chandigarh.
ALSO READ: “PM Modi Completes His Election Campaign; Breaks His 2019 Record”
Since the election schedule was announced on March 16, Modi has participated in 206 public outreach events, including rallies and roadshows, surpassing his 145 public engagements during the 2019 elections. The campaign period this time lasted 76 days, compared to 68 days in the previous elections. Prime Minister Modi is seeking a third consecutive term from his constituency in Varanasi.
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