Vivekananda Rock is a small rocky islet located around 500 metres off Vavathurai Beach in Kanyakumari. PM Modi will meditate here for three days starting from today until June 1. Image courtesy: Tamil Nadu Tourism
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave New Delhi this afternoon (May 30) for Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari. After campaigning in the south in the past, this is a personal visit. The Prime Minister will undertake a three-day meditation retreat at the Vivekananda Rock-cut Memorial until June 1.
PM Modi’s meditation visit to the Vivekananda rock-cut temple is quite similar to his previous visits to the temple in 2019 and 2014 after the end of the Lok Sabha election season. In 2019, the PM visited Kedarnath, while in 2014 he visited Pratapagarh.
But why did PM Modi choose Vivekananda Rock Memorial as his destination? Here is the answer.
PM Modi visits Vivekananda Rock Memorial
Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday announced that he will visit and meditate at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari from May 30 to June 1, marking the culmination of his Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Lok Sabha election campaign.
Although it may not be widely known, the Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a monument located about 500 meters off the mainland of Vavathurai and is a popular tourist destination. It is situated on a large rock and is surrounded by three bodies of water – the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean.
The monument has two main structures – the Vivekananda Mandapam, which houses an impressive bronze statue of the revered Swami Vivekananda, and the Shripada Mandapam, which contains a footprint believed to be that of Goddess Kanyakumari. The site has deep cultural and spiritual significance as legend has it that Goddess Kanyakumari offered prayers to Lord Shiva on this rock.
According to security sources handling the visit, PM Modi will reach the monument around 4.30 pm today and will witness the sun set at 6.34 pm. After completing meditation, the PM will return from Kanyakumari at 3.30 pm on June 1. He will board a Delhi-bound Indian Air Force flight from Thiruvananthapuram airport at 4.10 pm.
Enhanced security
Security has been stepped up ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit, with the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy maintaining a high level of vigil while reports suggest that 2,000 police officers will be on guard during his stay.
a PTI According to news reports, beaches will be closed to tourists from Thursday to Saturday and private boats will not be able to ferry across. Tourists have also been asked to cancel their weekend plans. “Reservations at all lodges and hotels in the small town will be blocked by police. Around 1,000 police officers will be deployed and coast guard and coast guard vessels will patrol the waters around the island,” the official said. Indian Express.
Location matters
PM Modi’s decision to meditate at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial is significant. Named after the famous Indian philosopher, this rock islet is believed to be where Swami Vivekananda swam to meditate in 1892. His followers believe that he attained enlightenment after this three-day meditation.
In an 1894 letter to Swami Ramkrishnananda he wrote: “Sitting on the last rock of India, at the Mother Kumari Temple in Cape Comorin, I came up with a plan. We are a bunch of sannyasins roaming around and teaching people metaphysics. It is all madness. Hasn’t our Gurudeva used to say, ‘Hunger is not good for religion’? It is only ignorance that has caused those poor people to lead a beastly life. We have been sucking their blood and trampling on them.” (Quoted in S.P. Agarwal’s Mother Kumari) Social Role of the Gita1993).
Many years later, in 1970, thanks to the tireless efforts of social activist and RSS leader Eknath Ranade, a memorial was built on this tiny island. In fact, the then President VV Giri unveiled the memorial.
Modi’s relationship with Vivekananda
It is widely known that PM Modi considers Swami Vivekananda one of his role models, and he has repeatedly cited the philosopher as a major influence on his life.
As a young man, PM Modi was a member of the Ramakrishna Mission, a spiritual charity founded by Swami Vivekananda. It is also reported that in 1966, the young Modi decided to take sannyas (abbottled) at the Ramakrishna Mission ashram in Rajkot, Gujarat, just like Swami Vivekananda. However, Swami Atmasthananda, the head of the Ramakrishna Mission at the time, told Modi that his place was in society, not in taking sannyas. He told him that he should abandon the idea of sannyas and rather serve society among the people and not think about living as a monk.
Others point out that many of Modi’s programmes, such as the Skill India Mission, the Fit India Movement and the New Education Policy, reflect Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy of “person development” and “character building”.
Moreover, speaking at the 125th anniversary celebrations of the mission last year, PM Modi said, “Swami Vivekananda had a grand vision for India and he must be watching with pride as India works to realise this vision.”
Also read: Why are TMC and Indian National Congress opposed to media coverage of PM Modi’s meditation in Kanyakumari?
Political significance
But Modi’s decision to meditate at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial appears to be driven not just by personal belief: his choice of a southern location also has political connotations.
During the Lok Sabha election season, PM Modi has been campaigning heavily in the South to make a bigger mark for his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As per available data, PM Modi held a staggering 35 election events in five southern states – Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka – including 11 each in Karnataka and Telangana, and seven in Tamil Nadu.
Incidentally, PM Modi will wrap up his election campaign today in Kanyakumari, the same place where he kicked off his marathon campaign for the Indian Lok Sabha elections to be held on March 16 this year.
Regarding the southern expansion, he told the news agency: PTI “We are already seeing an increase in support and we expect a significant increase in our seat share and vote share in the region,” he said on May 20.
Little known, the five southern states together account for 131 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. Tamil Nadu alone accounts for 39 Lok Sabha seats.
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