5 min readDehradunNov 6, 2021 03:37 AM IST
First published on: Nov 5, 2021 at 08:27 AM IST
While offering prayers at Baba Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand and unveiling a 13-foot-tall statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya at his reconstructed samadhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said there was a time spirituality and dharma was connected only with stereotypes and wrong morals but today our culture, our tradition and religious centres are seen with the same sense of pride it should have been seen.
Stating that the third decade of the 21st Century will be for Uttarakhand, Modi inaugurated development projects worth Rs 225 crore under the first phase. He also assured people that with great speed of development works, more tourists will visit Uttarakhand in the next 10 years than in the last 100 years.
“Today our culture, our tradition, and religious centres are seen with the same sense of pride as they should have been seen. Today the temple of Lord Ram is being constructed with pride. Ayodhya is getting back its pride after centuries. Just two days ago a grand Deepotsava was organised and the entire world witnessed it. Today we can imagine the ancient cultural form of India. In Uttar Pradesh, the beautification of Kashi (Varanasi) is also on. The work of Vishwanath Dham is on at a great pace and is near completion. A Buddha circuit from Sarnath, Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya has been formed to attract followers of Buddhism. All the teerth-sthans related to Lord Ram are connected through a circuit,” Modi said.
“We are doing all this because today’s India shows faith in the directions of great personalities like Adi Shankaracharya and takes pride in that. Some people question how we will do everything in such a short time. Then a voice comes from within me. I hear the voice of 130 crore Indians and all I say is that India does not accept to be bound within time limits and getting scared anymore,” he added.
Talking about the role of Adi Shankaracharya, who he called an incarnation of Lord Shiva himself, Modi said there was a time when spirituality and dharma was connected only with stereotypes and wrong morals but the Indian philosophy talks about human welfare and looks at life with a holistic approach.
“Adi Shankaracharya made the society familiar with this truth. He established holy maths, Char Dham and the renaissance of 12 jyotirlingas. Our Upanishad culture teaches us to question every time. This inheritance of ours has been kept alive by our maths for thousands of years. They are prospering it. Be that Sanskrit, Vedic Mathematics or Science, the math and the tradition of Shankaracharya has secured this and showed path to generations. In the present time, the philosophies of Shankaracharya are even more relevant,” he said.
Modi also applauded and congratulated the Uttarakhand government for their development works and successful vaccination drives against Coronavirus. He said with immense faith in Devbhoomi and trusting the massive possibilities, the Uttarakhand government is connected with the mahayagya of development with all its strength.
PM Modi was received by Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) and CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. (ANI)
“Work on the Char Dham road project is going on with great pace. The Char Dhams are being connected with a highway. Work to make sure devotees can reach Kedarnath via car has also started. Preparation in the direction to build a ropeway for Hemkund Sahib is also going on. Rishikesh and Karna Prayag will also be connected by train. Once the Delhi-Dehradun highway is completed, those going to Delhi from Dehradun will need less time. All this will benefit Uttarakhand and tourism in Uttarakhand,” he said.
“People here should mark my words that with the speed at which infrastructure is improving, in the next 10 years, more tourists will come than what came in the last 100 years. You can imagine how much strength it will provide to the economy here. The third decade of the 21st Century is for Uttarakhand and mark my words,” he added.
He further claimed that he has changed the old saying that the water and youths of the mountain never benefit the mountain and now both the water and the youths of the mountain will benefit the place. “Based on the development and welfare decision, the migration will stop,” he said.
The government said its focus is on ensuring better communication connectivity, roads, and enhanced facilities for those walking to the Himalyan temple, controlling the number of tourists at a time, and alternate routes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Kedarnath temple on Friday. (Source: Twitter/@BJP4India) 
PM Modi was received by Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) and CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. (ANI)
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