New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived at the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district to offer prayers.
"You all are witness to the inauguration of Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi here today. His devotees are present here in spirit. All maths and 'jyotirlingas' in the country are connected with us today. There was a time when spirituality and religion were believed to be associated only with stereotypes. But, Indian philosophy talks about human welfare, sees life in a holistic manner. Adi Shankaracharya worked to make society aware of this truth," PM Modi said in his address at Kedarnath.
"A grand Ram Temple is being constructed in Ayodhya. Recently, Deepotsav was celebrated there. Work on the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project in Varanasi is also progressing rapidly...Now, the country aims high and also sets a time limit to achieve these aims," PM further added.
Read: 12-feet tall statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya unveiled
Upon his arrival in the state, the Prime Minister was received by Uttarakhand Governor Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh (Retd) and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun.
Located on the bank of the Mandakini river, Kedarnath temple is one of the four ancient pilgrimage sites referred to as 'Char Dham' which includes Yamunotri, Gangotri and Badrinath. Built in the 8th century AD by Jagad Guru Adi Shankaracharya, Kedarnath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
After offering prayers at the temple, PM Modi inaugurated the reconstructed samadhi of Adi Shankaracharya and unveiled a statue of the seer in the temple premises. He also reviewed and inspected the ongoing construction works.
Read: Ahead of PM's visit, Dhami reviews preparations in Kedarnath
The Samadhi of Adi Shankaracharya has been reconstructed after its destruction in the 2013 Uttarakhand floods.
Speaking to the media, Bagish Ling, a priest of Kedarnath Temple, said, "We will all welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi will reach here in the morning. He will do the Maha Rudra Abhishek and pray for the welfare of the nation. He will also unveil the statue of Adi Shankaracharya. The temple has been decorated with flowers."
Following this, Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated key infrastructure projects worth Rs 130 crores, including Saraswati Retaining Wall Aasthapath and Ghats, Mandakini Retaining Wall Aasthapath, Tirth Purohit Houses and Garud Chatti bridge on river Mandakini. He also laid the foundation stone for multiple projects.
