Ahead of Ayodhya ceremony, PM Modi visits two Tamil Nadu temples

TIRUCHY/ RAMANATHAPURAM : Extending his visits to temples in the south with a Ramayana connect, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday offered worship at the Sri Ranganathaswamy in Srirangam and Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram and took a holy dip at the Rameswaram ‘Agni Theerth’ beach. The former is a Vaishnavite temple; the latter is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

On his way to the Srirangam temple, the PM stood on the running board of his car and waved at people and BJP workers who had gathered at vantage points to greet him. His visit to the shrines comes just two days ahead of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ (consecration) of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The PM listened to ‘Kamba’ Ramayana recitation by scholars in Srirangam. He wore a ‘veshti’ (dhothi) and an angawastram (a shawl). Modi was blessed with ‘sadari’ (crown, symbolising Lord Vishnu’s blessings) by priests after he offered prayer at the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple.

The PM later flew to Rameswaram on a MI 17 helicopter. He reached Pekkarumbu area and proceeded to Ramanathaswamy temple by road. Modi, who was seen wearing a rudraksha mala, prayed at the ancient Shiva temple and took a dip in the 22 ‘theerths’ inthe temple complex. The PM took part in Ramayan Path and Bhajan Sandhya at the temple. On Sunday, he will visit the Kothandaramar temple and also visit Arichal Munai in Dhanushkodi.