Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a 48-hour meditation at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Tamil Nadu's Kanniyakumari on Thursday.
The PM will begin his meditation at Dhyan Mandapam, the same spot where Swami Vivekananda meditated in 1892. The Rock Memorial monument was built to pay tribute to the Hindu philosopher-saint.
Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election results, PM Modi had embarked on a similar spiritual journey in Uttarakhand. Back then, he was also photographed meditating in a holy cave near Kedarnath.
Why the Vivekananda Rock Memorial?
During the 125th anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna Math in Mylapore, Chennai, PM Modi had said that his government's philosophy is inspired by Swami Vivekananda.
“Our governance philosophy is also inspired by Swami Vivekananda. He said that whenever privilege is broken and equality is ensured, society progresses. Today, you can see the same vision in all our flagship programmes. Earlier, even basic facilities were treated like privileges. Many people were denied the fruits of progress. Only a select few people or small groups were allowed to access it. But now, the doors of development have been opened to everyone,” he said.
A BJP leader told news agency PTI, “Meditating at the same place shows Prime Minister Modi's commitment to bringing Swami ji's vision of a Viksit Bharat to life. He is giving a signal of national unity by going to Kanniyakumari.”
Security Arrangements
Around 2,000 police personnel have been deployed in the area during PM Modi's stay. The PM is expected to stay in Kanniyakumari from Thursday evening to June 1. The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy have been asked to maintain a tight vigil.
What is Vivekananda Rock Memorial
Situated close to the monolithic statue of Tamil saint Tiruvalluvar mid-sea off the coast of Kanniyakumari, the rock has been regarded as a sacred place since ancient times. The Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee built it to commemorate the visit of Swamy Vivekananda to “Shripada Parai” on December 24, 25 and 26 1892 for meditation and enlightenment.
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