Modi visits Puri Temple

Goes to Jagannath Temple on the seventh day of Rathyatra festival

Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP campaign committee chairman Narendra Modi today visited Jagannath Temple at Puri amid much fanfare on the seventh day of the Rathyatra festival.

A large crowd had gathered at Bhubaneswar airport this morning to have a glimpse of Modi as he arrived from Ahmedabad in a special plane. He was received at the airport by BJP state unit president KV Singhdeo, BJP national vice-president Juel Oram, general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan and other party leaders.

On his way to Puri, Modi’s carcade was cheered by people lining up the streets near small market places along the 60 km stretch. He stopped at Sakhi Gopal, where he paid floral tributes at a memorial built in honour of Pancha Sakhas, the five eminent persons of the state.  

After reaching Puri amid tight security, Modi visited the Gundicha temple, the current abode of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra during Rath Yatra before proceeding to Jagannath Temple to offer prayers.

He also met Gajapati Maharaj of Puri and holy guru Shankaracharya and held discussion with them.

“Wonderful being in the beautiful state of Odisha. Blessed to offer prayers at Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri,” his twitter account flashed in the afternoon today.

Addressing the assembled crowd at the main entrance of Jagannath Temple, Modi spoke about the relationship between his state and Odisha. Reading out a prepared speech in Oriya, he said, “I thank people of Odisha for their warm welcome. I cherish the strong bond between Gujarat & Odisha and discussed about it with friends here.”

Highlighting the presence of large number of Odias in Gujarat, especially in Surat, he said, “Thanks to the skilled manpower and the traditional aesthetic sense of Odisha’s artisans who have made Surat’s textile the best in the World.”

He then held a brief discussion with party’s state unit leaders and district presidents at a Puri hotel and returned to Bhubaneswar, from where he left in the afternoon for Nagpur to meet Mohan Bhagwat, chief of BJP’s ideological patron Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).