The Kedarnath cave where Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditated just before the seventh and final phase of the 17th Lok Sabha polls commenced, has become a much sought-after spiritual tourism destination.
Days after PM Modi's overnight stay at the 'Dhyan Kutia' (meditation hut), it has been rechristened as the "Modi cave". The PM had meditated inside the enclosure for 17 hours straight. Several tourists have been looking to book a stay at the hut and have been referring to it as the 'Modi cave'.
The Dhyan Kutias were developed by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN). It is a government body that promotes tourism in Uttarakhand.
The cave sits atop a hill close to the shrine of Lord Shiva and is located at a height of over 12,000 feet. It is a tiny enclosure but has an attached bathroom and a window that overlooks the Kedarnath temple, Hans India reported.
A picture of PM Modi meditating in saffron robes inside the cave had gone viral last week.
While a section of the population was enticed by the photograph and wanted to learn more about the accommodation, another section had trolled PM Modi on social media for meditating in a facility that provides all basic amenities and also for inviting media to cover the event.
However, BL Rana, the general manager of GMVN, trashed all allegations dubbing it a "luxury facility" by meditation standards and said, "There is only a single bed, a bucket and a mug for bathing. The cave has an electricity connection but there is no network for mobile phones."
He added that the cave will soon be open to the public through an online booking facility.
Bookings are closed as of now due to a technical snag. The bell that connects the cave with the GMVN office has stopped working. Rana said the authorities are trying to restore the bell system and bookings will resume once that is fixed. Earlier, one night's stay at the cave cost Rs 3,000, which has now been reduced to Rs 990.
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