Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Advani offers prayers at Tirumala

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUMALA JAN. 2. The Deputy Prime Minister, L. K. Advani, along with his wife, Kamala Advani, and other family members, offered prayers at the hill temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, on Friday evening.

On his arrival at the temple complex, Mr. Advani and his entourage were accorded a warm reception and led into the sanctum sanctorum. He stood in front of the main deity for nearly 10 minutes and paid his obeisance. The chief priest of the temple presented him with a `silk vastram' of the Lord. While going around the precincts of the temple, the priest explained him the importance and the glory of the ancient temple.

Going by the customary practice, Advani also made cash offerings into the temple hundi. The BJP president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, who also had come along with his family members, joined Mr. Advani inside the temple.

Later, the TTD Board chairman, D. K. Audikesavulu, and the Executive Officer, Ajeya Kallam, presented the dignitaries with temple prasadam, New Year's calendar and other religious books at the Ranganayakulu Mandapam inside the temple complex.

Mr. Advani, who is on a two-day pilgrimage, was seen leisurely talking to the temple priests often enquiring about the importance of the sub-temples and various `vahanams' of Lord -- brought out only during the annual Brahmotsavams. He also spent a couple of minutes standing on the steps of the temple tank, adjoining the temple complex.

Later, Mr. Advani walked up to the Varahaswamy Temple, situated about 150 metres away from the main temple complex on the southwest bank of the temple tank and offered prayers, thus becoming the first ever Deputy Prime Minister to visit this temple

While Mr. Advani preferred to get back to the Padmavathi guesthouse, where he is staying tonight, his son, Jayanth, daughter-in-law, Geetika, and daughter, Pratibha, stayed back for local shopping.

The Deputy Prime Minister is also scheduled to visit the hill temple in the wee hours of Saturday at 2 a.m. on the eve of the auspicious `Vaikunta Ekadasi', festival before leaving the place on Saturday morning.

Our Tirupati Staff Reporter writes:

Earlier, Mr. Advani, offered prayers at the temple of Goddess Padmavathi in Tiruchanur here on Friday. Mr.Advani, who arrived at the temple by 3.45 p.m., two-and-a-half hours behind schedule, along with his family members and Gopalswamy, Union Home Secretary, was accorded a traditional welcome amid chanting of vedic hymns by the temple priests. The Tirupati MP, N. Venkataswamy, the district Minister, B. Gopalakrishna Reddy, the TTD Board Chairman, D. K. Adikesavulu, and the Executive Officer, Ajeya Kallam, led him into the temple.

He also offered prayers at the `Dhwaja Stambham' (flag post). The `prasadam' was handed over to him by the temple officials, while the priests showered 'aasirvachanams' (blessings) on Mr. Advani and his family members.

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