Prime Minister Narendra Modi had began the meditation session in the Vivekananda Rock Memorial which is located in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. The session would be of 45 hours. The Prime Minister arrived by helicopter from Thiruvananthapuram. He had worship at the Bhagavathi Amman Temple before going to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
At the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, PM Modi gives tributes with flowers to the portraits of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda’s life-size statue graces the pedestal of the ‘dhyan mandapam’ where he is meditating. The Prime Minister then commenced his spiritual practice within the mandapam.
The choice of Kanyakumari has its own reason. As it is the same place where Swami Vivekananda believed to have experienced a divine vision of ‘Bharat Mata’ in 1892. Swami Vivekananda is a spiritual guru respected by the PM. The Prime Minister’s meditation retreat follows the conclusion of the intensive two-month-long political campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. Intense security has been implemented in the area. Around 2,000 police personnel deployed and the Coast Guard and Navy maintaining vigil. The Prime Minister’s meditation plan has sparked a political row, with the Congress party alleging that it is an attempt to circumvent the silence period restrictions before the final phase of voting on June 1.
The meditation will end on June 1. PM Narendra Modi is on a liquid diet. He is consuming coconut water, grape juice, and other fluids only. He is in silence and will remain silence. He will not step out of the meditation hall during the period of meditation session. The location is also special as it is the southernmost tip of the Indian mainland. And, hence that makes it a spiritually significant place for the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had meditated earlier. In 2019, after the conclusion of the Lok Sabha polls, he had gone to the Kedarnath cave for a meditation retreat. The meditation is seen as a way for PM Modi to reflect and recharge after the intense campaign, drawing parallels with his previous meditation at the Kedarnath cave following the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The event has sparked a political row, with the Congress party alleging that it is an attempt to circumvent the silence period restrictions and unfairly leverage the ethnocultural significance of the location to bolster his campaign.
History of Vivekananda Rock Memorial
The Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, India is a monument built in honor of Swami Vivekananda, a renowned spiritual leader and Hindu monk. The memorial stands on one of the two rocky outcroppings about 500 meters off the mainland of Vavathurai. The genesis of the memorial dates back to an important encounter between Swam Vivekananda and Shri Bhaskara Sethupathi (The king of Ramanathapuram) , during one of Swami’s countrywide yantras. Sethupathi urged Vivekananda to represent Hinduism at the Parliament of World’s Religions in Chicago in 1893.
Before embarking on his journey, Vivekananda visited Kanyakumari on December 24, 1892. According to tradition, he meditated on the rock for days and reached enlightenment there. The rock was formally called the Vivekananda Rock in 1963 to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s birth centennial.
The idea to construct a memorial for Swami Vivekananda in honor of his upcoming birth centenary in 1963 was first proposed in 1962. An unregistered committee began its activities on August 1, 1962. The Vivekananda Rock Memorial Commitee and All India Swami Vivekananda Centenary Celebration was officially registered on March 29, 1963. Eknathji Ranade assumed the role of Organizing Secretary on August 11, 1963. The committee approved the memorial plan by Chief Engineer and Architect S. K. Achari on August 29, 1963. The Madras Government granted permission for the erection of Swami Vivekananda’s statue on September 24, 1963.
The Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a symbol of national unity and purity, reflecting Swami Vivekananda’s vision of a strong and spiritually united nation. It is a major tourist destination and features architectural beauty from across India. The construction of this place began in 1964 and was completed in 1970. The magnificent monument, consisting of two main structures, the Vivekananda Mandapam and the Shripada Mandapam, cost 650 laborers six years to finish. The memorial was officially inaugurated by President V. V. Giri on September 2, 1970.
Questions have been asked to PM Modi related to meditation
Q1. Why Vivekananda Rock Memorial is chosen by PM to meditate only?
A1. As it is a very special place as it is the place where Swami Vivekananda have experienced divine vision of “Bharat Mata” in 1892.
Q2. Did PM Modi had meditated before?
A2. Yes, PM Modi had meditated before in the Kedarnath cave after the result of 2019 Lok
Sabha election in 2019.
Q3. Did there is any security arrangment for PM Modi during the meditation?
A3. Yes, security arrangements are there for PM Modi with around 2000 police officers and the Coast Guard and Navy maintaining the vigil.
Q4. Is meditation session is a political agenda only?
A4. The meditation session of PM Modi at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial has been viewed by many as a political agenda. The timing of the meditation that coincides with the end of the Lok Sabha election campaign and the beginning of the 45-hour silence period before the final phase of voting on June 1, has raised concerns about potential political exploitation.
Q5. How the citizens of the country reacted to the meditation session?
A5. The public reaction related to the meditation session is mixed everyone is judging
according to their own perspective.
Q6. What is the political controversy surrounding PM Modi’s meditation?
A6. The event has sparked a political row, with the Congress party alleging that it is an attempt to circumvent the silence period restrictions before the final phase of voting on June 1 and unfairly leverage the ethnocultural significance of the location to bolster his campaign.
