Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 12-foot-tall statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya in Kedarnath on 5th November 2021 and also spent time meditating in front of the statue.
Made from chlorite schist, the 35-ton Shankaracharya statue was built on the seer’s samadhi sthal which was remodeled after being badly damaged in the 2013 floods. “Adi Shankaracharya’s principles and teachings have immense importance in the present day. His life has been extraordinary, he devoted himself to the well-being of the common man, “said the Prime Minister, adding that” the faithful of the seer is present here in spirit “, referring to the simultaneous broadcast of the event in jyotirlingas and established mathematics the old seer.
Among the development projects, estimated at around 225 crore rupees, which the Prime Minister inaugurated in Kedarnath include the retaining wall of the Saraswati river, the Aastha road and the ghats, the Purohit tirth houses, the Mandakini retaining wall and the Aastha road, and the Garud Chatti Bridge in Mandakini.
In addition, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for several projects worth Rs 180 million. These projects included the renovation of the Sangam Ghat, the tourist animation and first aid center, the administrative office and the hospital, two guest houses, the police station, the command and control center, the management of queues and the Mandakini Aasthapath rain shelter and the Saraswati civic service building.
The PM in his address spoke emotionally about his connection with Kedarnath. “Whenever I come here, I feel connected with every bit of the place. I feel privileged that I was able to have a darshan at the temple on the auspicious occasion of Govardhan Pooja. There are no words to describe the experience of sitting before Adi Guru Shankaracharya’s statue at his rebuilt samadhi.”
He also appreciated the CM and the state government for carrying out development works at Kedarnath, in particular lauding the contribution of all workers, who carried out the work despite adverse conditions.
Adi Guru Shankaracharya was Born in Kerala, he was an 18th-century Indian mystic and philosopher who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta and made a significant contribution to unifying Hinduism by setting up four “mathas” across India.