Modi offers prayers at Kedarnath temple

Dehradun May 3 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Wednesday and offered prayers at the Kedarnath temple one of the holiest Hindu shrines.

Modi reached the Kedarnath minutes before it reopened its gates at around 8.50 a.m. after the six month-long winter break.

The Prime Minister took part in an important ritual inside the sanctum sanctorum.

He was then presented with a miniature replica of the shrine. Kedarnath is one of the four Himalayan shrines on the Char Dham circuit.

Earlier Modi was welcomed by Uttarakhand Governor Krishna Kant Paul and Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on his arrival here.

A day before his visit to Uttarakhand Modi on Tuesday tweeted: Tomorrow (Wednesday) I will be visiting Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand. I will begin my visit by praying at the Kedarnath Temple.

I will be inaugurating the Patanjali Research Institute... (in) Haridwar tomorrow (Wednesday)... he said in another tweet.

--IANS
aks/in