Tirumala: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday offered prayers at the temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala.
Accompanied by Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Prime Minister reached the Padmavati Guest House to a rousing reception by the TTD authorities.
After a brief halt at the guest house, he drove straight to the main temple complex where the priests, amid chanting of Vedic hymns, received him with the traditional ‘Isti kapal’ temple honours and led him into the sanctum sanctorum.
Mr. Modi had spent about 30 minutes inside the temple. Soon after darshan, a band of temple priests showered ‘Vedasirvachanams’ on him at the Ranganayakula Mandapam inside the main temple complex, while TTD Chairman Ch. Krishna Murthy and Executive Officer D. Sambasiva Rao presented him with the memento, new year diary, calendar and laddu prasadams.
Earlier the chief priest of the temple presented him with the ‘sesha vastram’ inside the sanctum.
On his return to the guest house, Mr. Modi had his luncheon together with the Governor and the Chief Minister before motoring down to Tirupati from where he flew-back to the national capital.