New Delhi, January 20: Just before attending the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ rituals of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited two temples in Tamil Nadu, had darshan of the Lord and prayed for the good health and welfare of 140 crore Indians.
During this, the Prime Minister also heard the recitation of verses of Kamba Ramayanam from different scholars in the temple. The Prime Minister was given an emotional welcome during the road show.
Prime Minister Modi started his two-day tour of Tamil Nadu by visiting Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tiruchirappalli. The main deity worshiped in this temple is Sri Ranganatha Swamy, who is in the sleeping form of Lord Vishnu.
Prime Minister Modi participated in the ‘Sri Ramayana Parayana’ program at Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and also heard the recitation of verses from Kamba Ramayanam from different scholars.
The program featured eight different traditional troupes reciting Ramkatha (narrating the episode of Shri Ram’s return to Ayodhya) in Sanskrit, Awadhi, Kashmiri, Gurmukhi, Assamese, Bengali, Maithili and Gujarati. The Prime Minister also participated in the Bhajan evening organized in the temple. It is noteworthy that the famous Kamba Ramayanam was presented publicly for the first time by the Tamil poet Kamban in this temple complex.
After this the Prime Minister went to Rameshwaram and had darshan and worship at Sri Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple there. The main deity worshiped in this temple is Sri Ramanathaswamy, a form of Lord Shiva.
It is believed that the main Lingam in this temple was established and worshiped by Shri Ram and Mother Sita. It is one of the Char Dhams of Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameshwaram. It is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas.
Prime Minister Modi wrote in the post on X, “I feel honored to have the opportunity to offer prayers at Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. Lord Shri Ram’s relation with this temple is very old. I feel blessed to have the blessings of the God whom Lord Shri Ram also worshipped.”
He said in another post, “Listening to the verses of Kamba Ramayana at Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is an experience I will cherish all my life. The fact that this is the same temple where the great Kamban first presented his Ramayana in public makes it all the more remarkable.”
“Prayed at Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy temple for the good health and well-being of 140 crore Indians,” Modi said in a post on Twitter.
Prime Minister Modi received an emotional welcome during the road show in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. Responding to this, Modi wrote on Twitter, “Whenever I come to Tamil Nadu, the warmth and affection of the people mesmerizes me. Here are some precious moments from Srirangam.”
