Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a special puja at the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand on Wednesday morning in his first visit to the revered shrine since winning the general elections three years ago.
The doors of the shrine were thrown open at 8.50am amid chanting of lines from the Vedas. Chief minister TS Rawat and other BJP leaders and ministers were also present.
A large number of pilgrims were kept waiting because of tight security until the PM’s puja was over.
Soon after, the PM exchanged greetings with the main priest. He was also presented with prasad, a wooden structure of the temple among others. The PM also met the pilgrims, several of whom clicked pictures of the PM.
{{/usCountry}}Soon after, the PM exchanged greetings with the main priest. He was also presented with prasad, a wooden structure of the temple among others. The PM also met the pilgrims, several of whom clicked pictures of the PM.
{{/usCountry}}Modi had taken an aerial survey of Kedarnath after it was ravaged in the June 2013 flash floods that killed more than 5,000 people. The BJP government in the hill state is hoping to get a boost from the Centre after the PM’s visit. The prime minister will also inaugurate a research centre at spiritual leader Ramdev’s Patanjali firm in Haridwar.