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Modi in Gujarat: PM dives into sea to perform underwater puja off Dwarka
PM Narendra Modi in Dwarka: In the photos shared by Modi, he can be seen in scuba gear and descending into the azure waters to offer prayers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday went underwater, in the deep sea, enjoyed scuba diving off the Arabian Sea coast at the Panchkui beach in Gujarat and offered prayers at the site where the ancient city of Dwarka was believed to have submerged post Lord Krishna’s demise. It is believed that the ancient city was linked closely with Lord Krishna and was a hub of grandeur and prosperity.
Modi also paid homage to Dwarka, a city that continues to captivate imaginations with its rich cultural and spiritual legacy, the officials. Underwater, Modi said, he also offered peacock fathers as tribute.
In the photos shared by Modi on his X handle, he can be seen in scuba gear and descending into the azure waters to offer prayers at the site steeped in historical and spiritual significance. The photographs of the PM went viral on social media.
“To pray in the city of Dwarka, which is immersed in the waters, was a very divine experience. I felt connected to an ancient era of spiritual grandeur and timeless devotion. May Bhagwan Shri Krishna bless us all,” Modi wrote on X.
"Today, I experienced those moments with will stay with me forever... I went deep in the sea and did 'Darshan' of the ancient Dwarka city. Archaeologists have written a lot about Dwarka city hidden underwater. In our scriptures also, it is said about Dwarka that it was a city with beautiful gates and tall buildings, as tall as the top of the world. Lord Krishna himself constructed this city... When I went deep in the sea, I experienced the divinity... I bowed down in front of Dwarkadhish. I took a peacock feather with me and placed it at Lord Krishna's feet. I had always been curious to go there and touch the remains of the ancient Dwarka city. I am full of emotions today... A decades-old dream was completed today...," Modi later said during a public meeting in Dwarka.
The ancient city of Dwarka is a place of immense significance in Hindu mythology and history. It has also long captured the imagination of historians, archaeologists, and devotees.
Earlier on Sunday morning, Modi offered prayers at Gujarat's famous Lord Krisha temple--Dwarkadish. Situated at the cusp of the Gomti River and the Arabian Sea in Gujarat, the majestic Dwarkadhish Temple is an important Hindu pilgrimage site for Vaishnavites, especially the devotees of Lord Krishna, Dwarkadhish Temple is one of the Char Dham. The temple's prime deity is Lord Krishna, who is called Dwarkadhish, or King of Dwarka.
Modi was later gifted an idol of Lord Krishna by the priests of the temple.
PM Modi inaugurates Sudarshan Setu, India's longest cable-stayed bridge
Modi also inaugurated Sudarshan Setu, the country's longest cable-stayed bridge spanning around 2.32 km, connecting the Okha mainland and Beyt Dwarka in Gujarat.
The bridge, previously known as the 'Signature Bridge', has been renamed 'Sudarshan Setu' or Sudarshan Bridge.
Beyt Dwarka is an island near Okha port, approximately 30 km from Dwarka town, where the famous Dwarkadhish temple is situated.
Constructed at an estimated cost of ₹979 crore, the bridge features a four-lane road, 27.20 metres in width, with 2.50-metre wide footpaths on either side.
Modi also offered prayers at the Beyt Dwarka Temple on Sunday morning.
Modi's two-day Gujarat visit
PM Modi began his two-day Gujarat visit with a roaring roadshow in Jamnagar on Saturday.
Amid the chants of 'Modi, Modi' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' a large number of people lined up on both sides of the the road as Modi's cavalcade moved towards the Circuit House.
(With inputs from agencies)
