Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed happiness over the redevelopment works at Kedarnath which experienced severe damage in the 2013 floods.
"After the 2013 destruction, people who came here used to think will our Kedar Dham stand up again? But a voice within me always told me that Kedarnath would be redeveloped with more pride than ever before," the Prime Minister said while addressing people at Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand.
Speaking about the devastation caused by the floods, the Prime Minister said, "At the time, I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat but I could not stop myself and rushed here. I witnessed that destruction and pain."
"I feel fortunate enough that we successfully initiated these development projects in Kedarnath," the PM added.
He also said, "I was able to successfully initiate these development projects in Kedarnath due to my experience of handling earthquakes in Kutch in 2001."
Earlier in the day, the PM offered prayers at Kedarnath Temple. This is Prime Ministers' second visit to the temple during his term; the last time he visited the Kedarnath temple was in 2019.
He unveiled a 12-feet statue of Adi Shankaracharya at the premises of the Kedarnath Temple in Rudraprayag district and inaugurated various re-development projects worth Rs 130 crores. These projects include Saraswati Retaining Wall Aasthapath and Ghats, Mandakini Retaining Wall Aasthapath, Tirth Purohit Houses and Garud Chatti bridge on river Mandakini.
Located on the bank of the Mandakini river, Kedarnath Temple is the of the four ancient pilgrimage sites referred to as 'Char Dham' which also include Yamunotri, Gangotri and Badrinath. Built in the 8th century A.D. by Jagad Guru Adi Shankaracharya, Kedarnath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
( With inputs from ANI )
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