Temple visits, meditating at cave and more: Tracing PM Narendra Modi’s spiritual journey

Donning a traditional attire, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Parvati Kund in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district today (12 October). Parvati Kund is a significant holy site for Hindus. Modi’s day-long visit to the hill state also included darshan of the Adi Kailash peak, believed to be Lord Shiva’s abode. PM Modi regularly visits famous shrines and sites and has also opened up about his spiritual awakening previously. As the Indian premier again grabs headlines with his latest holy trip, let’s dive into his spiritual journey. Pithoragarh visit PM Modi keeps returning to Uttarakhand where he ensures to practice spirituality. Today, he performed aarti at the Shiva Parvati temple along the banks of Parvati Kund in Jolingkong. A white turban and a ‘ranga’ (upper body garment) completed his outfit. He also meditated briefly in front of the Adi Kailash peak, seeking blessings from Lord Shiva. Modi shared pictures of his visit on X and tweeted, “I am overwhelmed with the darshan and worship at the holy Parvati Kund of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand. The mind is also happy with the darshan of Adi Kailash from here. From this place of spirituality and culture nestled in the lap of nature, I wished for a happy life for all the family members of the country.”

उत्तराखंड में पिथौरागढ़ के पवित्र पार्वती कुंड में दर्शन और पूजन से अभिभूत हूं। यहां से आदि कैलाश के दर्शन से भी मन आह्लादित है। प्रकृति की गोद में बसी अध्यात्म और संस्कृति की इस स्थली से अपने देश के सभी परिवारजनों के सुखमय जीवन की कामना की। pic.twitter.com/iIEpO0Cta0

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 12, 2023

He then headed to the Gunji village, where he interacted with the locals and personnel of the Army, BRO and ITBP. Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several projects worth Rs 4,200 crore in Pithoragarh. Kerala PM Modi paid obeisance to saint-philosopher Adi Shankaracharya in his birthplace at Kalady village in Kerala’s Ernakulam district last September. Seen in the traditional attire of Kerala, Modi said he felt “blessed” after his visit. “I feel very blessed to be at the Sri Adishankara Janmabhumi Kshetram. It is indeed a special place. Generations to come will remain indebted to the great Adi Shankaracharya for his rich contribution towards protecting our culture,” the prime minister tweeted along with his pictures.

I feel very blessed to be at the Sri Adishankara Janmabhumi Kshetram. It is indeed a special place. Generations to come will remain indebted to the great Adi Shankaracharya for his rich contribution towards protecting our culture. pic.twitter.com/5VCwxcEbFq

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2022

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According to a PTI report, addressing a public rally during his two-day visit to the southern state, Modi had said the legacy created by Adi Shankaracharya, who was known for the philosophy of Advaita, was spread from Kerala by various spiritual leaders and social reformers like Sree Narayana Guru, Chattampi Swamikal and Ayyankali. Modi was also “honoured” to visit Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in Kochi. Uttarakhand Days ahead of Diwali, PM Modi offered prayers at the famous Kedarnath temple in October 2022. He wore ‘Chola Dora’, a handmade dress gifted to him by the women of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh, which he paired with a chudidaar pajama, a red and yellow pahadi cap, a kamarband and black shoes. The Chola Dora featured a swastika and peacock feathers on the back. Modi was presented with the outfit when he had visited the then-poll-bound Himachal.

PM Modi is wearing a handmade dress made by the women of Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. The dress is popularly called Chola Dora. This dress was gifted to PM during his recent visit to the state. pic.twitter.com/71FLZUdJv1

— ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2022

PM Modi also prayed to Bhagwan Nandi outside the Shiva temple and visited the Adi Guru Shankaracharya Samadhi Sthal in Kedarnath. He also performed puja at Badrinath Dham wearing a white kurta-pajama and a black winter jacket. He remembered his pitra (ancestors) and prayed for their mukti at the temple, reported Indian Express. During his visit to Kedarnath in November 2021, Modi had unveiled a 13-foot-tall statue of Adi Shankaracharya at his reconstructed samadhi. In his address last year, the PM said there was a time when spirituality and dharma were “connected only with stereotypes and wrong morals but today our culture, our tradition and religious centres are seen with the same sense of pride it should have been seen”, according to Indian Express. Uttar Pradesh In December 2021, PM Modi said the Kashi Vishwanath (KV) Corridor project will augment the spiritual vibrancy of Kashi or Varanasi. He made a remark a day before inaugurating the project. Spread over 5.5 lahks (550,000) square feet area, the KV Corridor connects the Ganga river with the Kashi Vishwanath temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi. Modi unveiled the redeveloped Corridor last February. He was also seen taking a dip in the river Ganga in Varanasi during his visit to the holy city. The famous cave visit On the eve of the final day of voting during the 2019 general elections, PM Modi was meditating at a cave 11,700 feet up in the Himalayas. He spent the night at the now-famous Rudra meditation cave that May, which is a little over a kilometre’s trek from Kedarnath, reported The Hindu. As per Indian Express, the Rudraprayag District Magistrate revealed that the cave has electricity, a heater, a simple bed, mattress, a small bathing area, an attached toilet, an electric geyser for hot water and even a telephone.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditates at a holy cave near Kedarnath Shrine in Uttarakhand. pic.twitter.com/KbiDTqtwwE

— ANI (@ANI) May 18, 2019

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) took special permission for the visit from the Election Commission as rules prohibit any campaigning 48 hours before voting, reported PTI. The ‘meditation cave’ has become a tourist attraction since then. According to The Hindu, there are a total of three caves offering a view of the picturesque Kedarnath valley. Authorities said the caves were booked 103 times in 2019, only 36 times in 2020 due to COVID-19, and none the following year. Last year, 64 people booked the caves. The bookings again jumped from April this year, as the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand began. The main cave, where the PM meditated, costs Rs 3,000 per night, while the others are available at Rs 1,500 plus GST, reported The Hindu. When PM Modi spoke on spirituality In an interview with Humans of Bombay in January 2019, Modi recalled how he left his home when he was 17 years old for the Himalayas. “I was undecided, unguided and unclear – I didn’t know where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do and why I wanted to do it. But all I knew, was that I wanted to do something”. He spoke at length about his two-year journey and how he woke up early, took baths in the “freezing waters of the Himalayas”, and lived with sadhus who taught him “to align himself with the rhythm of the universe”. “I went wherever God wanted to take me – it was an undecided period of my life but still, gave me so many answers,” Modi was quoted as saying by India Today. “I aligned and experienced revelations that help me till today. I realised that we’re all tied down by our thoughts and limitations. When you surrender and stand in front of the vastness – you know that you’re a small part of a large universe. When you understand that, any trace of arrogance you have in you melts and then life truly begins.” “That’s when it all changed,” Modi said. “After two years, I returned home with clarity and a guiding force to lead the way.” The prime minister, who has amplified efforts to promote yoga since he first came to power in 2014, had said in 2017, “Yoga is the entrance point to one’s spiritual journey. One should not consider it as the last point, as it is simply the entry gate to the spiritual world”, reported Times of India (TOI). Modi also said that spirituality was India’s “strength”, and lamented that people tend to link it to religion, emphasising that the two are different. With inputs from agencies