Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday offered prayers at the Kedarnath temple and inaugurated the rebuilt holy sites and new facilties for pilgrims that have been created with the completion of the first phase of the reconstruction of Kedarpuri after the devastating floods of 2013.
The Prime Minister also unveiled a 12-foot statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya, the 8th-century seer who had attained Moksha at Kedarnath. The ceremony was streamed live at the 12 jyotirlingas, four Shankaracharya mutts (monasteries), his birthplace and several prominent temples across the country. Besides, the Saraswati Ghat and a new residence for the priests were also inaugurated.
PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of new reconstruction projects in Kedarpuri worth over Rs 400 crore which will form part of the phase 2 development of the holy town.
The Prime Minister had launched the initiative for the reconstruction of Kedarpuri and has been closely monitoring the work from Delhi with the help of drone technology.
In his address at the function, the Prime Minister said he had rushed to Kedarnath as Gujarat chief minister in 2013 after the havoc wrought by the floods and “amid the destruction all around, there was an inner voice in me that said Kedarnath will be redeveloped again and restored to its pristine glory.”
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He was all-praise for the workers who had kept up the hectic construction schedule even through the harsh winter, when temperatures drop to -10 degrees in the region, so that the project could be completed in time.
The Prime Minister said that the development projects had made it easier for pilgrims to reach Kedarnath and the new facilities and roads that have been built will make it an all-weather pilgrimage site.
"This decade belongs to Uttarakhand. In the next 10 years, the state will receive more pilgrims than it did in the last 100 years," PM Modi remarked.
He said this will create more employment opportunities such as providing home-stay facilities to visitors and tourism would also pick up.
Located on the bank of Mandakini river, Kedarnath Temple is one of the four ancient pilgrimage sites referred to as ''Char Dham Yatra'' which also include Yamunotri, Gangotri and Badrinath.
In his speech, PM Modi also highlighted the philosophy of Adi Shankaracharya as a holistic approach to life that embodied the view of a united India where caste and race are not important but the deeds of people count.
The Prime Minister mentioned how Shankarcharya as a small boy had made his way from Kerala to Kedarnath and sacrificed his entire life for the well-being of humankind.
PM Modi also pointed out that in this holistic approach, knowledge and religion were linked which makes place for using science for the development of mankind.
He also highlighted the fact that work was in progress to build the Ayodhya temple and the town was getting back the glory it deserves.
Besides, religious sites at Kashi and Mathura as well as the international Budhist circuit were also being revived, he said, at the function where several priests were present.
