In Uttarakhand, PM Modi takes part in prayers at iconic Kedarnath Dham

As India gears up to soak in the Diwali spirit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kicked off a hectic three-states visit scheduled to be undertaken over the next few days.

Soon after PM Modi reached Kedarnath on Friday morning, he was seen taking part in morning rituals at the iconic Kedarnath Dham. He was seen wearing a handmade dress from Himachal Pradesh. Modi also had visited the shrine last year in November.

After the prayers, Modi will launch the Kedarnath Ropeway Project. Following the launch, he would review the progress of development works along Mandakini Asthapath and Saraswati Asthapath. He is also set to visit Badrinath, and would launch a ropeway project in Mana village. While Kedarnath and Badrinath are one of the most important Hindu shrines, the region’s Sikh shrine – Hemkund Sahib – is also highly revered.

“The ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 Km long and will connect Gaurikund to Kedarnath, reducing the travel time between the two places from 6-7 hours at present, to only about 30 mins. The Hemkund ropeway will connect Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. It will be around 12.4 Km long and will reduce the travel time from more than a day to only about 45 mins. This ropeway will also connect Ghangaria, which is the gateway to Valley of Flowers National Park,” a government statement read.