Dehradun: After spending the whole night at Gaurikund, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi reached the revered ancient Kedarnath shrine in the lower Himalayas on Friday morning. As per reports, the Congress vice president entered inside the sanctum sanctorum and offered prayers at the holy shrine after the chief priest opened the doors of the ancient temple around 8.30 am for devotees to offer prayers to ‘Lord Shiva’.
Speaking to reporters later, Rahul Gandhi said, “I have come here to pay respects to those who lost their lives in the 2013 tragedy.” When quizzed by reporters that he is seeking divine intervention to boost his political career, he said, “I did not ask for anything, but I felt immense power.”
The Gandhi scion earlier trekked the last 16 km to the famous temple along with senior Congress leaders. The 8th century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is situated at an altitude of 3,581 meters above sea level. The shrine closes in October-November every year due to snow and reopens in April-May.
The temple is set amid the stunning Garhwal Himalayas at the head of the Mandakini river. It suffered extensive damage during the flash floods of 2013 that killed thousands of people. Gandhi was on Thursday accorded a grand welcome by leaders of the Congress, which rules Uttarakhand. Chief Minister Harish Rawat and his cabinet colleagues Indira Hridyesh, Yashpal Arya, Dinesh Agarwal and Preetam Singh received him at the airport.
Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, Gandhi looked relaxed as he chatted with Congress leaders on the tarmac. He is accompanied by Ambika Soni and Jitin Prasad on his two-day trip to the hill state. Gandhi paid floral tributes at the portrait of Veer Chandra Singh Gadwali, a hero in the region. He then interacted with the state cabinet on the preparations of the Char Dham Yatra which covers the shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri.
A presentation was done for Gandhi to apprise him of the rehabilitation and development work undertaken after the 2013 floods that also caused widespread destruction. Gandhi lauded the work done by the Uttarakhand government.
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