Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe offered prayers at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at nearby Tirumala on Sunday, the Press Trust of India reported.<\/p>\n
On arrival at the \u2018mahadwaram\u2019 (main entrance), Wickremesinghe and his wife Maitree were accorded a traditional welcome by temple priests and top functionaries of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which governs the 2,000-year old shrine, a temple official told PTI.<\/p>\n
Before paying obeisance to the presiding deity of Lord Venkateswara, the 73-year-old Wickremesinghe performed ages-old \u2018Tulabharam\u2019 ritual.<\/p>\n
As part of \u2018Tulabharam\u2019 ritual, devotees sit in a balance and offer grocery items, precious metals or money equal to their body weight, the temple official said.<\/p>\n
Later, the same is made as an offering to the God at the hill temple, the official added.<\/p>\n
The Sri Lankan prime minister, his wife and other dignitaries later worshipped Lord Venkateswara. They spent about an hour in the temple.<\/p>\n
After offering prayers, Wickremesinghe was honoured with a sacred silk clot, besides the \u2018prasadam\u2019 and \u2018theertham\u2019 (celestial water) in a tiny bottle, while the priests, amid chanting of vedic hymns, blessed him at the sprawling Rangamandapam in the temple.<\/p>\n
Wickremesinghe flew in to the Renigunta airport, 20 km from Tirupati, by a special helicopter from Chennai on Saturday evening and drove straight to the Tirumala hills, the temple official said.<\/p>\n
This is his fourth visit to the ancient shrine. Wickremesinghe has offered prayers at the temple in 2018, 2016 and 2002 as well, the official said.<\/p>\n
Later, he left for Chennai en route to Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n
Courtesy: Colombo Gazette<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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