Kanyakumari: After completing three-day meditation at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid floral tributes at Thiruvalluvar statue in Kanyakumari. Clad in saffron, Modi began his meditation on Thursday.
On Friday, the Prime Minister came out of the meditation hall to offer prayers to the sun before resuming his spiritual journey. On Saturday, he walked along the rocks, offered prayers at the feet of Bhagavati Amman and paid obeisance at the statue of Swami Vivekananda.
PM Modi’s meditation lasted for 45 hours, after which he visited the nearby Thiruvalluvar statue at 2.55 pm. This time dressed in white, PM Modi paid floral tributes at the 133-feet tall statue of the Tamil poet. He then took a boat to the jetty from where he was taken to the helipad. The PM then departed for Thiruvananthapuram from Kanniyakumari in a helicopter at 3.55 pm.
Tourists were allowed to visit the beach as normal after Modi left. Shopkeepers said Kanniyakumari is in the midst of tourist season and the restrictions imposed over the past three days have led to a drop in business.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted a letter purportedly written by Prime Minister Modi, which read, “I visited the Vivekananda rock monument at Kanniyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, and felt its divine energy. Mother Parvati and Swami Vivekananda meditated on this rock.”
Modi called Vivekananda a “fountainhead of ideals, energy and spirituality” and said he envisioned a new direction for India’s rebirth with the rock.
“Today, when India stands for the values and ideals of Swami Vivekananda, I am fortunate that after so many years I have got an opportunity to meditate at this holy place. This is one of the unforgettable moments of my life. Sitting at the feet of ‘Ma Bharati’, I reaffirm my resolve to always dedicate every moment of my life and every limb of my body in the service of the nation,” he said.
