Manmohan Singh offers prayers at Tirupati temple
By IANSWednesday, September 1, 2010
HYDERABAD - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday offered prayers at the famous Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
On a visit to the temple town to lay the foundation stone for two projects, he visited the temple atop Tirumala Hills.
Priests and officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the affairs of the country’s richest temple, accorded traditional reception to Singh at Ranganayaka Mandapam.
The priests blessed him amid chanting of vedic hymns.
Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister G. Venkat Reddy offered “prasadam”, a sacred silk cloth and holy water to the prime minister.
Accompanied by priests, Singh later went into the sanctum sanctorum and offered prayers to the Lord’s idol.
This was Singh’s second visit to the ancient temple as prime minister.
He had earlier offered prayers in September 2005.
