Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Kedarnath

On Sunday, he is expected to be in Badrinath, another temple in Uttarakhand’s ‘char dham’ religious circuit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditating in a holy cave near Kedarnath Temple, during his two-day pilgrimage to Himalayan shrines, in Rudraprayag district, Saturday, May 18, 2019.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday offered prayers at the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath, a day after campaigning for the general election came to a close.

On Sunday, he is expected to be in Badrinath, another temple in Uttarakhand’s ‘char dham’ religious circuit.

Dressed in a grey traditional pahari attire, Mr. Modi offered prayers for about 30 minutes and undertook a circumambulation of the Kedarnath shrine situated at a height of 11,755 feet near the Mandakini river.

The Prime Minister then went inside a cave near the shrine. Draped in a saffron shawl, Mr. Modi was seen meditating at the holy cave.

Rudraprayag’s District Collector Mangesh Ghildiyal said devotees were not allowed to enter the temple’s premises when Mr. Modi was offering prayers.

The Prime Minister also took stock of development work in the temple town. Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh briefed Mr. Modi about the restoration work in the Kedarnath shrine. Mr. Modi later took an all-terrain vehicle to review the reconstruction work.