After sounding the final poll bugle on Thursday, marking the end of the hectic, yet high-spirited political campaign before the last phase of Lok Sabha polls, PM Narendra Modi reached Kanniyakumari yesterday evening for a two-day meditation at the iconic Vivekananda Rock Memorial, the exact place where Swami Vivekananda meditated in 1892 and attained enlightenment.
PM Modi’s decision to meditate at the exact same spot is his way of rejuvenating the historical heritage site, which might have lost its significance in today’s busy world.
The Vivekananda Rock is a tiny rocky islet located some 500 meters from Kanniyakumari’s Vavathurai beach, the southern tip of mainland India, at the meeting point of the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. Though today it can be easily accessed via a 15-minute ferry service from Vavathurai; back in 1892, when Vivekananda had to meditate, he had to swim from the shores of Kanyakumari to the rocky islet to meditate. Swami Vivekananda’s disciples believe that he meditated there for three days and three nights, attaining enlightenment.
To preserve the historical place where Swami Vivekananda attained enlightenment, in 1963 on Vivekananda’s birth anniversary, the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee led by RSS activist Eknath Ranade made efforts to commemorate the site of his enlightenment, with the memorial on the rock being formally inaugurated by the President V V Giri in 1970.
It is essential to note here that Swami Vivekananda arrived at the site in Kanniyakumari after wandering across the country, finally arriving at the site where he not only attained enlightenment but also a vision for a developed India. It is believed that Goddess Parvati had also meditated at the same place on one foot as she waited for Lord Shiva.
PM Modi has long revered Swami Vivekananda as a role model. A BJP leader told the news agency PTI that PM Modi meditating at the same place shows his commitment to bringing Swami ji’s vision of a Viksit Bharat to life, giving a signal of national unity by going to Kanniyakumari.
At a young age, PM Modi was even a member of the Ramakrishna Mission, a spiritual and philanthropic organization founded by Swami Vivekananda. Additionally, the selection of the Vivekananda Rock as the site for PM Modi’s meditative retreat also assumes significance in light of his pronounced push into the South during this year’s Lok Sabha campaign. Over a third of the prime minister’s trips to the South occurred in the last three years, with seven visits made to Tamil Nadu in 2024 alone.
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