The first pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditating at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Tamil Nadu's Kanniyakumari, the country's southernmost tip, were shared by the BJP on Friday. PM Modi began meditating on Thursday evening and will continue till Saturday evening.
Clad in a saffron shirt, shawl and dhoti, PM Modi is seen meditating and walking around the complex of the Dhyan Mandapam, the same spot where philosopher Swami Vivekananda had meditated in 1892. This comes after he wrapped up his hectic campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls.
As part of his meditation exercise, PM Modi, at sunrise, performed 'Surya Arghya', a ritual associated with spiritual practice involving salutations to the Almighty, manifested in the form of the sun and offered prayers with folded hands.
A short video clip, 'Sunrise, Surya Arghya, Spirituality', tweeted by the BJP shows PM Modi pouring water from a traditional, beaker-like small vessel into the sea as an offering (Arghya) and praying using his prayer beads (Japa mala).
PM Modi on Thursday reached the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and began his 45-hour-long meditation. According to sources, the Prime Minister's meditation started around 6:45 pm on Thursday.
During the meditation period, PM Modi will be on a liquid diet and consume coconut water, grape juice and other liquids, sources said.
PM Modi’s spiritual retreat comes at the end of campaigning for the Lok Sabha election.
After arriving in Kanniyakumari, the Prime Minister headed straight to the Bhagavathi Amman temple and offered prayers.
Security was beefed up during PM Modi's visit and 2,000 police personnel were standing guard during his stay. The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy maintained a tight vigil given its location.
PM Modi is known to undertake spiritual journeys at the end of election campaigns. In 2019, he visited Uttarakhand's Kedarnath and Pratapgarh in Maharashtra in 2014.
