Prime Minister Narendra Modi will end his 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign with a 48-hour meditation break in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari in keeping with the past practice of undertaking spiritual journeys at the end of national poll cycles.
In 2014, the PM had visited Maharashtra’s Pratapgad, the place where Maratha forces led by Shivaji had marked their first major military triumph by defeating Bijapur troops under Afzal Khan in 1659.
PM Modi is expected to reach Kanyakumari on Thursday evening. His daylong meditation exercise at Vivekananda Rock Memorial will begin on May 31. The visit will conclude on June 1, when he departs for Delhi.
Vivekananda Rock Memorial, a popular tourist attraction in Kanyakumari, is dedicated to the 19th century philosopher and author Swami Vivekananda. The memorial is situated close to the monolithic statue of Tamil saint Tiruvalluvar on a rock in the sea, about 500 metres from the mainland, the Tamil Nadu tourism website explains. The rock is surrounded by the Laccadive sea at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.
The party leader further said that Modi’s Kanyakumari visit was not related to any BJP-linked event. We would know about his schedule a day in advance, he added.
The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will end on June 1 and the results will be announced on June 4.
Modi had taken similar breaks at the end of the election campaign in 2014 when he visited Pratapgarh, where a battle was fought between the Maratha forces led by Shivaji and the Bijapur troops under General Afzal Khan; and in 2019 when he became the first person to meditate in a special cave in Kedarnath.
According to a person aware of the details, the choice of venue is in keeping with Modi’s proclivity for spirituality and his reverence for Swami Vivekananda. The venue is also important since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been making a concerted effort to expand its footprint in the coastal state. Since the beginning of the election campaign, Modi, who is the face of the BJP and the biggest crowd puller, has addressed over 110 election rallies.
“…It also shows PM’s deep commitment and love for Tamil Nadu… he is visiting the state even after the elections are over,” the person said.
Referring to the decision to meditate at the Rock Memorial, the person said by choosing to sit in meditation at the same spot, the PM is illustrating his commitment to bringing Swami Vivekananda’s vision of a Viksit Bharat to life. “Goddess Parvati also meditated at the same place on one foot as she waited for Bhagwan Shiva…” the person said.
“This rock had a major impact on Swami Vivekananda’s life. People believe that like Sarnath holds a special place in the life of Gautam Buddha, the rock in Kanyakumari holds a similar place in the life of Swami Vivekananda. It was here that he arrived after wandering across the country and mediated for three days and attained the vision for a developed India,” official sources said. They said meditating at the same place as Swami Vivekananda signalled the PM’s commitment to bringing the former’s “vision of Viksit Bharat to life”. “Goddess Parvati also meditated at the same place on one foot as she waited for Lord Shiva,” sources said. Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, is also the place where India’s eastern and western coastlines meet.
It is believed that Swami Vivekananda sat in meditation on the rock for two days to attain enlightenment.
Modi frequently undertakes visits to places of religious significance. On May 20 while campaigning in Odisha’s Puri, he offered prayers at the Jagannath Temple. In January, he visited several temples in Tamil Nadu during a two-day visit, including attending a programme at Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tiruchirappalli. He also visited Rameswaram and offered prayers at the Sri Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple and the Kothandaramaswamy Temple, Dhanushkodi. Modi, who presided over the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, also visited the Arichal Munai, which is said to be the place from where the Ram Setu was built.
