Prime Minister Narendra Modi commenced a 45-hour meditation session at the renowned Vivekananda Rock Memorial on Thursday evening. After arriving by helicopter from nearby Thiruvananthapuram, Modi visited the Bhagavathi Amman temple, where he participated in rituals and circumambulated the 'garbhagriha'.
Clad in a dhoti and a white shawl, he received temple 'prasad', including a shawl and a framed photograph of the temple's deity, following a special 'arthi' performed by the priests.
Modi then reached the rock memorial via a ferry service operated by the state government-run shipping corporation and began his meditation at the 'dhyan mandapam'.
Before entering his meditation, he took a moment to stand on the steps leading up to the mandapam for the breathtaking sea views surrounding the memorial. Modi will likely finish his meditation on June 1 before he is expected to visit the Thiruvalluvar statue, which stands near the memorial.
The memorial and the 133-foot-tall statue are on separate rocky islets in the sea. Despite his visit, the political opposition was well and alive as groups like the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam staged a black flag demonstration in Madurai, and social media platform 'X' was filled with #GoBackModi posts.
This opposition comes on the seventh and final phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections on June 1. Heavy security measures have been put in place for Modi's stay at the memorial, his visit to the site that is built in the honor of Swami Vivekananda, who meditated on these rocks in late 1892.
Here're some of his pics from Kanyakumari:
Read More | PM Modi's Spiritual Retreat: Meditating at Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari
