27-Feb-2024 09:40 PM
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Madurai (Tamil Nadu), Feb 27 (Reporter) Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the World-renowned Sri Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple here on Tuesday night.
He was accorded the traditional welcome with “Poorna Kumbham’ honours by the temple priests.
Among others, S.Rukmini Palanivel Rajan, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Temple and senior officials of the State HR and CE department received the PM at the entrance of the temple.
Clad in the traditional “Veshti” (dhoti), shirt and angavastram,.Modi was accompanied by Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Fisheries Dr.L.Murugan and BJP State President K.Annamalai.
He spent more than one hour inside the temple complex and was apprised about the temple’s history, significance and festivals by the temple officials.
Special pujas were offered to the presiding deity Lord Sundareswarar and his consort goddess Meenakshi in view of the PM's visit.
Modi also offered worship at various shrines inside the temple complex and the famous “Porthamarai Kulam” - the sacred temple tank with Golden Lotus.
He also participated in the famous “Palliyarai Puja,” a special ceremony in which the processional idol of Lord Sundareswarar was taken around in a palanquin to the ‘palliyarai mandapam’ (resting place of the deities) and placed nearby his consort Goddess Meenakshi and both are put to rest for the day.
A blanket security cover was thrown over the temple by the police and intelligence sleuths in view of the PM's visit.
This is the second time that Modi visited the temple. Earlier, he offered prayers in the temple in 2021 when he visited Madurai for an election rally for the assembly election...////...