Rudraprayag: Chandni Kanoria of Mumbai, Maharashtra, has become the first female to perform Sadhana this year at Kedarnath Dham's meditation cave here in Uttarakhand.
After reaching the holy site, she spent two days meditating in the Rudra meditation cave, visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the 2019 elections. She prayed for the peace and prosperity of the country.
A resident of JB Nagar, Andheri East, Mumbai, Chandni, reached Kedarnath Dham last Thursday after the ceasefire was announced between India and Pakistan.
After reaching the temple for the first time, she straight away went to the Rudra cave for meditation and spent several hours there.
“Due to the escalating tension between India and Pakistan, I could not reach here in the first week of the trip. As soon as the ceasefire was announced, I made up my mind to come to Kedarnath Dham,” she said. “Kedarnath Dham is the gate to heaven, as one gets a lot of peace here,” she said.
Chandni also praised the administration for providing facilities for devotees to visit and have darshan.
Gopal Singh Routhan, an employee of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), confirmed the historic development of Chandni’s meditation.
He said other devotees were also expected to reach Kedarnath Dham in the coming days, as many have booked for the meditation cave.
Devotees flocking to Kedarnath
The doors of Kedarnath Dham were opened for the darshan on May 2, and since then, over 4 lakh devotees have visited the temple.
Besides darshan, Rudra cave also receives bookings for sadhana (meditation). At the beginning of the yatra, about 7 to 8 bookings were being received for this cave, but due to inclement weather and increasing tension between India and Pakistan, the devotees cancelled their bookings.
Now, when the situation is back to normal, bookings have started coming into the Kedarnath meditation cave once again.
Facilities at Kedarnath meditation cave
Located one km away from Kedarnath Temple is an underground stone meditation cave. Prime Minister Modi visited and meditated here before the 2019 general elections, after which this cave became popular. Maintained by the Garhwal Mandal Development Corporation, it offers complete isolation with some living facilities and a phone for emergency use.
It has a single bed, a washroom connected with a geyser and running water, a heater, a telephone and a calling bell for an attendant. Basic food facilities, Kedarnath Temple and Bhairavanath Temple are visible from Rudra Cave.
How to book Kedarnath Meditation Cave
The interested devotees can book the meditation session on GMVN’s website: gmvnonline.com. The cave can be booked for a maximum of 3 days and a minimum of 24 hours.
“All bookings must be done at least 3 days in advance with Rs 3700 per person per night for meditation in the meditation cave,” officials said.
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