Sindhu offers prayers at Mahankali temple

​Hyderabad: As a mark of thanksgiving for winning silver medal in the Rio Olympics, ace shuttler P V Sindhu on Saturday offered prayers at the famed Lal Darwaza Mahankali temple in the old city of Hyderabad. Clad in half saree and carrying ‘bonam’ (offering) on her head, the star shuttler visited the temple and offered prayers in full traditional way.

Sindhu told reporters that she worshipped the deity every year. “I had pledged that if I win a medal in Olympics, I will come again. Today, I have come here to fulfill that pledge,” she said.

It may be recalled that the badminton star had last month participated in ‘bonalu’, the folk festival of Telangana, being celebrated as the State festival since the formation of Telangana state two years ago, at the same temple.

Sindhu’s visit to the temple on Saturday comes amid ongoing debate on her nativity and the attempts by both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to claim her as their own, following her historic performance at Olympics.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao presented her Rs 5 crore, a 1,000 square yard land and offered a job to outdo his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu, who had announced Rs 3 crore and offered house site in Amaravati and a job.

Both the Telugu States this week gave rousing reception to Sindhu, who became the only Indian woman to win an individual silver in the Olympics.