Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his 45-hour-long meditation at the famous Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu on Saturday, June 1.

After rigorous campaigning for about two months across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took some time out to mediate as the seventh and last phase of polling was set to start on Saturday. He began his 45-hour meditation at the iconic Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari on Thursday, after the campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections ended.

PM Modi meditated at the Dhyana Mandapam of the iconic tourist spot. It’s believed that it’s the same place where Swami Vivekananda

realised his divine enlightenment.

Apart from being a popular tourist spot, the Vivekananda Rock Memorial holds a significant place in India’s cultural and spiritual traditions.

According to a legend, the goddess Kanyakumari prayed to Lord Shiva atop this rock, making it an important place for the followers of the Hindu religion.

There is a preserved part on the granite rock which is believed to be carrying the goddess Kanyakumari’s footprint. The memorial is also a beautiful combination of many architectural styles.

The Sripada Mandapam and Vivekananda Mandapam are two structures to explore at the memorial. There is also a life-size bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda on the property. The rock is bordered by the Laccadive Sea, where the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea converge.

The memorial was built to mark Swami Vivekananda’s 100th birth anniversary. Swami Vivekananda, a 19th-century philosopher and spiritual leader, is celebrated for introducing India’s spiritual legacy to the world at the 1893 Parliament of World Religions in Chicago, United States.

How and When To Visit?

The Vivekananda Rock Memorial is nearly 90 km away from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and about 240 km away from Madurai International Airport.

If you decide to take a train journey, it is about 1.3 km away from the Kanniyakumari Station.

For a road trip you can take a bus from cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Madurai, Coimbatore, Puducherry and Chennai to Kanniyakumari. The memorial is about 21 km away from the bus stand.

The best time to visit Kanniyakumari is from November to March when the weather is cool and pleasant. Summers can be extremely hot due to the tropical environment in the region.