PM Narendra Modi to offer prayers at Kedarnath today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit the holy shrine of Kedarnath on Tuesday on the occasion of Diwali, just a day before its gates are closed for the winter. The visit would be Modi's third visit to the holy shrine. Last year too, he had visited Kedarnath on Diwali.

This year, however, Kedarnath is enveloped in a thick covering of snow and is shivering under minus 6 degrees Celsius. The weather, according to the meteorological department, is expected to worsen, and the area will receive more heavy snowfall in the next two days.

During his visit, PM Modi is expected to visit the Rudra Meditation cave, which was built at a secluded spot about 400 metres higher than the Kedarnath temple. The five-metre long and three-metre wide cave is big enough for one person to meditate at a time. Built in a natural ambiance, the Rudra meditation cave is equipped with all necessary facilities like telephone, hot water, electricity and a toilet. It is being popularised to attract devotees through social media by the district administration.

The other spots PM Modi is expected to visit this time are the much wider Mukhya Aksha (main approach road) leading to the temple from the confluence of Mandakini and Saraswati rivers and the retaining walls constructed on the banks of the Mandakini. While he was expected to inaugurate some of the schemes that have been completed, he may have to stop short because of the model code of conduct that has been enforced for local municipal election on November 18.