Udupi (Karnataka) | Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman received the ‘Bharata Lakshmi’ title from Paryaya Puthige Mutt seer Sugunendra Tirtha Swami at Sri Krishna Mutt here on Saturday.

Sitharaman visited the temple city to inaugurate the special ‘Yali,’ a traditional-style structure that surrounds the mutt.

Sugunendra Tirtha read out the citation, praising Sitharaman for her "integrity and dedication" as Finance Minister.

Visibly moved, Sitharaman recalled her first visit to Udupi in 2005, when she received a Krishna idol, which she continues to worship.

She praised the 'ashta mutts' for their “culture of service” and lauded the 'annabrahma' tradition of feeding thousands of devotees daily as a symbol of "devotion and commitment."

Highlighting the Koti Gita Lekhana Yajna—an initiative by Puthige Swamiji to collect one crore handwritten copies of the Bhagavad Gita—Sitharaman called it a "remarkable effort" to spread Lord Krishna’s message worldwide.

“Serving human beings is serving God,” she said, adding, “May Lord Krishna bless our country, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and all our people.”

The honour was conferred in the presence of Vishwapriya Thirtha Swamiji of Admar Mutt.

Karnataka High Court judge Dinesh Kumar was also honoured at the event.