PM Narendra Modi at Odisha's famous Lingraj temple in Bhubaneswar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took time off the ongoing BJP National Executive in Bhubaneswar and offered prayers at the 11th century Lingaraj Temple in the city.
PM Modi spent about 20 minutes at the temple which is among the top two most famous temple in the state along with the Jagannath temple in Puri. The temple - 54-metre high - is spread over a 25,000 sq.ft area and has over 150 small and big subsidiary temples in its premises.
Praful Kumar Mukaddam, one of the priests at the temple, said the prime minister asked many questions about the temple, its architecture and the smaller temples inside the compound. "I was extremely nervous I was guiding the prime minister and he had too many questions about the temple, I told him there are six steps to the temple same as the letters in Om namo shivaye (in Devnagri)," Mr Mukaddam said.
Another priest Chiranjeevi Mishra, who performed prayers for PM Modi, said, "The pm offered prayers. We chanted some shlokas and PM listened attentively. He offered lotus flowers, bel leaves, milk, coconut water and water to the deity."
PM Modi, according to the BJP sources, limited his visit to the temple so as to ensure that the temple doesn't stay out of bounds for a long time for regular devotees on Sunday. In fact several central ministers and top BJP leaders reached the temple well before the PM visit and offered prayers.
Mr Mukaddam said PM Modi "could not visit all the temples. But he went to all the main temples".
"PM Modi prayed for the welfare of the nation and also 'Swachh Bharat'," said another priest.
As the PM moved from one deity to another the 'seveyats' or temple priests used the opportunity to click selfies with the PM. Interestingly only the priests can get inside the temple with mobile phones as its one of the forbidden items inside.
On being asked about the signal PM Modi sent out with the visit to the temple Mr Mishra, who performed the rituals for the PM said, "Inside the temple it doesn't matter who holds which seat of power. What mattered was that PM Modi came with a rested mind."
But Mr Mukaddam was more vocal, "PM prayed here and I told him that 'padma' (lotus ) will bloom."
Before his temple visit, PM Modi met the families of freedom fighters who were part of the Paika rebellion against the British East India Company in 1817- now recognised the first freedom struggle.