PM Modi continues meditation at Vivekananda Rock Memorial | Latest News India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who began meditating inside the Vivekananda Rock-cut Memorial in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu on May 30, continued his meditation for the second day on Friday. He has been meditating for 45 hours and is expected to complete it in the afternoon of June 1. In the first pictures of his meditation released on Friday, Modi was seen wearing a saffron outfit and smearing sacred ash and vermilion on his forehead.

Modi woke up early on Friday to watch the sunrise at the seaside and later went into a hall to continue his meditation. After completing his meditation on June 1, he will lay a floral tribute at the 133-foot-tall Thiruvalluvar statue, according to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Three layers of protective barriers have been erected along the coast and offshore.

As campaigning nears its final stretch in India’s Lok Sabha elections, the prime minister visited Kanyakumari constituency in India’s southernmost region to kick off a three-day meditation. It was Modi’s eighth visit to the state since January. Tamil Nadu held its first phase of polls on April 19.

On Friday morning, PM Modi meditated for 20 minutes, performing “pranayama” (breathing exercises) in front of what is widely believed to be the footprint of Bhagavati Amman (Goddess Parvati), who meditated on a rock for Lord Shiva. The Bharatiya Janata Party released photos and videos of PM Modi performing the “Surya Argya” ritual as the sun rose over the Bay of Bengal and meditating with an imposing statue of Swami Vivekananda in the background.

After landing on May 30, PM Modi visited the coastal Sri Bhagavathi Amman temple and offered special prayers before boarding a special boat operated by state-run Poompuhar Shipping Corporation Limited to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial where he undertook a 45-hour meditation session.

Saint-philosopher Swami Viveknanada meditated here for three days in 1892. The memorial was built in 1970. PM Modi has also visited Pratapagarh in Uttar Pradesh and Kedarnath in Uttarkhand for meditation after the 2014 and 2019 Assembly elections.

Special arrangements have been made at the Dhyana Mandapam, a meditation hall at the underwater Swami Vivekananda Memorial, and tight security has been put in place along and off the coast. Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Maritime Police and State Police are on duty in Kanyakumari district.

Amid complaints from opposition parties that Modi was violating the model code of conduct and criticism that his visit was affecting tourism in Kanyakumari, some people were allowed to enter the rock monument on Friday amid tight security. “The meditation hall, however, has been completely sealed,” a police officer said, requesting anonymity.