Kedarnath - Prime Minister Narendra Modi on inaugurated the 12-foot statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya at the seer's rebuilt samadhi in the Kedarnath temple and said that Bharat's success is no longer bound by old ways and a 'new Bharat' has a new vision to be one of the leading economies in the future.
Inaugurating various re-development projects worth Rs 130 crores in Kedarnath, PM Modi said that the current decade belongs to Uttarakhand as there will be an unprecedented boost to connectivity in the region in the coming years. He also said that that the work on the Chardham road project, connecting with the Chardham highways is going at a fast pace.
His remarks comes month before the beginning of the assembly elections in the hilly state.
* You all are witness to the inauguration of Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi here today. His devotees are present here in spirit. All maths and 'jyotirlingas' in the country are connected with us today.
* After 2013 destruction, people used to think if Kedarnath could be redeveloped. But a voice within me always told me that Kedarnath will be redeveloped again.
* I have regularly reviewed redevelopment works at Kedarnath from Delhi. I reviewed progress of different works being carried out here through drone footage. I want to thank all 'rawals' here for their guidance for these works.
* There was a time when spirituality and religion were believed to be associated only with stereotypes. But, Bharatiya philosophy talks about human welfare, sees life in a holistic manner. Adi Shankaracharya worked to make the society aware about this truth.
* A grand Ram Temple is being constructed in Ayodhya. Recently, Deepotsav was celebrated there. Work on Kashi Vishwanath corridor project in Varanasi is also progressing rapidly... Now, the country aims high and also sets a time limit to achieve these aims.
* A number of infrastructure works are planned for Uttarakhand including road connectivity to Char Dhams and ropeway near Hemkund Sahib to facilitate devotees. This decade belongs to Uttarakhand. In next 10 years, the state will receive more tourists than it did in the last 100 years.
* Bharat's success is no longer bound by the old ways; new Bharat has a new vision to be one of the leading economies in the future.
* I thank the Uttarakhand government, Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami, and all those who have taken responsibility for these works and development.
PM Modi reached Kedarnath from Dehradun in the morning and offered prayers at the Shiva temple. After the prayers, he walked to the "Bheem Shila" behind the temple. The huge rock had rolled down the mountains during the June 2013 deluge and stopped right behind the temple, and is believed to have protected it from the disaster.
Work on the Shankaracharya statue, weighing around 35 tonnes, had begun in 2019. Its unveiling was streamed live at 12 jyotirlingas, four mutts or monasteries established by the eighth century seer, his birth place and a number of prominent temples across the country. PM Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of a slew of reconstruction projects worth over Rs 400 crore at Kedarpuri.