Kedarnath, May 18: Five days ahead of the Lok Sabha election results, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday meditated at a holy cave near the Kedarnath shrine nestled in Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand. In pictures shared by news agency ANI, PM Narendra Modi is seen meditating at a cave called 'Dhyan Kutia' and offering prayers. He trekked 2 kms to the cave and on request of media allowed cameras to make initial visuals, ANI reported. He will begin his meditation in a few hours which will last till tomorrow morning. No media or personnel will be allowed in the vicinity of the cave.

Early in the day, Modi arrived at Dehradun's Jolly Grant airport and took a helicopter to Kedarnath. Donning a grey attire with a Pahari cap and a saffron gamchha around his waist, PM Modi visited the Kedarnath shrine and offered special prayers to Lord Shiva. The temple was shut for devotees during the prime minister's visit. Modi later took an all-terrain vehicle to go around and review the reconstruction work in Kedarnath, which was extensively damaged in the June 2013 deluge.

Following heavy rain and cold, arrangements for umbrellas and benches for sitting were made on the trek. The Prime Minister will spend the night at the 'Dhyan Kutia' in Kedarnath and will fly to Badrinath on Sunday. He would return to New Delhi later on Sunday. PM Narendra Modi to Seek Re-Election From Varanasi in Final Phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

PM Narendra Modi visits Kedarnath shrine, meditates at holy cave:

This is the Prime Minister Modi's fourth visit to Kedarnath, which is perched up at a height of 11,657 feet and is surrounded by snow-clad peaks, in the past two years. In 2017, he visited it once in May after its gates were opened following a six-month winter break and again in October, before the temple again closed for the winter. He last offered prayers at the temple on Diwali in November. (With IANS inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2019 04:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).