The 9.7-km Gaurikund-Kedarnath ropeway will reduce travel time to 30 minutes. (Representational)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today offered prayers at the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district and laid the foundation stone for the Gaurikund-Kedarnath ropeway or cable car project.
Wearing a white-coloured Himachali attire of the hill people with a "swastika" symbol embroidered on it, the Prime Minister performed a "puja" at the temple. He also visited the Badrinath temple after his visit to Kedarnath.
During his two-day tour of the state, PM Modi will inspect various ongoing development projects and lay the foundation stones for some new ones.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister was received by Governor Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union minister Ajay Bhatt on his arrival at the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun in an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane.
After performing the "puja" at the Kedarnath temple, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the 9.7-km Gaurikund-Kedarnath ropeway project. Using the ropeway, devotees will now be able to reach the temple from Gaurikund in 30 minutes.
The priests who performed the "puja" prayed for strength to the Prime Minister to take the country forward.
PM Modi also visited the Samadhi Sthal of Adi Guru Shankaracharya and spent some time there.
At Badrinath Dham, PM Modi reviewed the progress of the development projects along the riverfront.
In the afternoon, PM Modi will lay the foundation stones for road and ropeway projects worth Rs 3,400 crore for the Kedarnath and Badrinath temples, and address a gathering at Mana village. He will also review the progress of the beautification project of the Arrival Plaza and the lakes in the area.
This is PM Modi's sixth visit to Kedarnath and second to Badrinath as the Prime Minister.
Security had been tightened around the two famous hill temples in view of the Prime Minister's visit. Both the temples have been decorated with quintals of flowers.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)