Prez prays at Yadadri; takes part in rituals

Prez prays at Yadadri; takes part in rituals
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Prez prays at Yadadri; takes part in rituals. President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday prayed to Lord Narasimha Swamy at the Yadadri temple in Telangana. Accompanied by his son Abhijit Mukherjee, he took part in various rituals at the hill shrine in Nalgonda district. The president, on his southern sojourn, reached Yadadri by helicopter.

Pranab Mukherjee is the fourth Indian President to visit the hill shrine of Telangana. First President Rajendra Prasad visited the temple in 1959 and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in 1963. Shankar Dayal Sharma prayed at Yadgirigutta in 1995.

President Pranab Mukherjee alighting from the copper at Yadadri on Sunday. (Right) Mukherjee taking a look at the temple development plan. (Below) Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao presenting a memento to the first citizen of the country

Hyderabad: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday prayed to Lord Narasimha Swamy at the Yadadri temple in Telangana. Accompanied by his son Abhijit Mukherjee, he took part in various rituals at the hill shrine in Nalgonda district. The president, on his southern sojourn, reached Yadadri by helicopter.

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao accompanied Mukherjee to the temple, until recently known as Yadgirigutta. Mukherjee took part in special pujas performed to the presiding deity.

The country’s first citizen was accorded a rousing welcome by Endowment Minister Indrakaran Reddy, temple EO Geetha and priests with ‘Poorna Kumbham’ amidst chanting of Vedic hymns. ESL Narasimhan, K Chandrashekar Rao, Ministers and others accompanied the President in the ritual that went on for about a couple of hours at the abode of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy.

Along with his son and MP Abhijith Mukherjee, Pranab offered silk clothes to the presiding deity and also had a darshan of the Goddess Lakshmi and Anjaneya Swamy. The Chief Minister presented an attractive photograph of the Lord and Yadadri Development Authority to the President and took blessing by touching his feet.

Chandrashekar Rao briefed Mukherjee of his government's plans to develop the temple on par with Tirumala. Mukherjee, who visited Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh last week, is the fourth Indian president to visit Yadagirigutta. First president Rajendra Prasad visited the temple in 1959 and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in 1963.

Shankar Dayal Sharma prayed at Yadgirigutta in 1995. Only a few officials were allowed to attend the event as the police top-brass of the State and Centre spread security blanket at the hill shrine.

Shops and other business establishments remained closed at the temple during the President’s stay. Earlier, the President reached Yadadri by a helicopter. The visit to Yadadri was not in the original schedule of the president.

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