Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Sunday morning, 19 May trip to Kedarnath in Uttarakhand has sparked a social media storm, with many making the cave pictures a subject of memes and mockery. Modi entered the cave on Saturday, and was reported to have begun an 18-hour meditation overnight.
According to a report in The Hindustan Times, the cave that PM Modi spent time in on Sunday can be rented out for Rs 990 per day. Located close to the Kedarnath Shrine, the cave comes with facilities like electricity, drinking water and an attendant on call via a bell located in the cave throughout the day.
The cave is meant for solitary occupation and only one person is allowed to be in the cave at a time. However, there is a phone located inside the cave for emergency communication.
“I am very privileged to spend the night in the cave. I had no means of communicating with the outside world. I’ve asked for nothing from God.”Modi after offering morning prayers
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According to a quote by Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) to HT, the operators of the meditation cave, the prices have been slashed from Rs 3,000 per day to Rs 990 to improve bookings.
The Rudra meditation cave was reportedly constructed after PM Modi came up with the idea of mediation caves in the area, said GMVN officials. The cave in which the PM meditated is located one kilometre above Kedarnath.
Some of the other features of the cave include a washroom, an entrance made of stones, a wooden door and meals three times a day, and other eatables.
“The cave did not get a good tourist response last year as by the time it was opened for bookings, the weather had already become quite cold. Secondly, we realised the tariff was too high,” BL Rana, general manager of GMVN told HT.
According to an India Today report, the 10 by 8 foot cave in which Modi meditated was ‘WiFi and telephone-enabled’.
The PM is on a two-day visit to Uttarakhand.
(With inputs from India Today and Hindustan Times)
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