Kanniyakumari/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Kanniyakumari to meditate at the Vivekananda Rock memorial, where he will remain till Saturday evening.

The Prime Minister is meditating at the Dhyan Mandapam, the same spot where the Hindu philosopher-saint Swami Vivekananda had meditated in 1892 to get a clear vision of the future of India.

It is also the meeting point of the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. BJP leaders said the choice of Kanniyakumari gives out a message of national unity.

PM Modi's meditation at the Vivekananda Rock echoes his two-day visit to Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath shrine at the end of the 2019 election campaign, during which he undertook a 15-hour-long solitary meditation in a holy cave.

Around 2,000 police personnel have been deployed in the area during PM Modi's stay. The PM is expected to remain in Kanniyakumari from Thursday evening until June 1. The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy have also been instructed to maintain a tight vigil, reported media.

Today, Vivekananda Rock can be reached via a 15-minute ferry ride from Vavathurai. In 1892, however, Swami Vivekananda swam from the shores of Kanyakumari to the islet to meditate.

His followers believe he meditated there for three days and three nights, attaining enlightenment. Before this, Swami Vivekananda had spent four years traveling across India, and it was at Kanyakumari that he finally formulated his philosophy.

When was the memorial built?

On the eve of Swami Vivekananda’s birth centenary in 1963, the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee, led by RSS activist Eknath Ranade, initiated efforts to commemorate the visit of Swami Vivekananda to “Shripada Parai” on December 24, 25 and 26 1892 for meditation and enlightenment. The memorial on the rock was officially inaugurated by President V. V. Giri in 1970.

Why did PM Modi choose the Vivekananda Rock for meditation?

Prime Minister Modi has long regarded Swami Vivekananda as a role model. In his youth, he was a member of the Ramakrishna Mission, a spiritual and philanthropic organization established by Swami Vivekananda.

During the Mission’s 125th anniversary celebrations last year, Modi stated, "Swami Vivekananda had a grand vision of India, and I am sure he is proudly watching India working to fulfill this vision."

The choice of the Vivekananda Rock as the site for Prime Minister Modi’s meditative retreat particularly signifies his strong focus on the South during this year’s Lok Sabha campaign. Over a third of the prime minister’s trips to the South have occurred in the last three years, including seven visits to Tamil Nadu in 2024 alone.