Chennai, Jan 20: On a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi planted saplings of Rudraksha along with Governor RN Ravi on the premises of Raj Bhavan in Chennai on Saturday.

"Hon'ble Prime Minister Thiru Narendra Modi planted saplings of holy #Rudraksha in the premises of Raj Bhavan, Chennai, today," read a post on the official X handle of Raj Bhavan, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday.

Prime Minister Modi, who is currently observing an 11-day Anushthan till the 'Pran Pratishtha' of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya on January 22, arrived in Tiruchirappalli on Saturday.

On his arrival to the city, Prime Minister Modi was accorded a warm reception by a big crowd as his cavalcade made its way out of the airport.

Acknowledging the cheering locals who chanted his name, PM Modi smiled and waved at them from his vehicle.

He also offered prayers at the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tiruchirappalli.

Also, during his visit, PM Modi sought blessings from an elephant named 'Andal' in the temple premises.

The jumbo was also pictured playing a mouth organ as PM Modi watched in amazement.

Located in Srirangam, Trichy, the temple ranks among the most ancient shrines in the country and finds a mention in various ancient texts, including the Puranas and the Sangam-era scriptures.

It is famous for its architectural grandeur and numerous iconic gopurams. The main deity worshipped here is Sri Ranganatha Swamy, a reclining form of Lord Vishnu.

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled for a darshan at the Kothandaramaswamy Temple, Dhanushkodi on Sunday and will also perform a puja at the shrine. He will also visit Arichal Munai, which is said to be the place from where the 'Ram Setu' was built.

Continuing his routine over the last several days of visiting several temples and attending to the chanting of verses from the epic 'Ramayana' in various languages--Marathi, Malayalam and Telugu, PM Modi is scheduled to attend 'Shri Ramayana Paryana' at the Sri Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple on Sunday.

During the programme, eight different traditional Mandalis will recite the Sanskrit, Awadhi, Kashmiri, Gurumukhi, Assamese, Bengali, Maithili, and Gujarati Ramkathas (recounting the episode of Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya).

Prime Minister Modi has, over the last few days, visited several temples in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala ahead of the grand January 22 opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

(ANI)

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