Thrissur | Days ahead of the Ram Temple consecration ceremony at Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday offered prayers at the famous Thriprayar Sree Ramaswamy Temple here, which is renowned for being a part of a pilgrimage to the abodes of Lord Ram and his brothers.
The Prime Minister, after attending the wedding ceremony of actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi's daughter at the Lord Krishna Temple in nearby Guruvayur, offered prayers at the Sree Ramaswamy temple situated on the bank of the Karuvannur river, also known as Theevra river.
The Thriprayar Sree Ramaswamy temple is dedicated to Lord Ram, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu, depicted with four arms holding a conch, a discus, a bow, and a garland.
PM Modi, dressed in the traditional attire of 'mundu' (dhoti) and 'veshti' (white shawl), spent over an hour at the temple, and also carried out the 'meen oottu' (fish feeding) ritual there.
He also listened to 'veda archana' and 'bhajana' by children and verses about Lord Ram in Malayalam inside the temple premises, following which he interacted with the priests as well as some of the children and distributed gifts to them.
"Prayed at the Thriprayar Sree Ramaswamy Temple. To hear verses of the Shri Adhyathma Ramayana and other bhajans in Malayalam was also very special," Modi said in a post on social media platform X.
In the post, he also shared photographs of his time at the temple.
Thereafter, he proceeded to Kochi to take part in public and party functions.
This visit to Thriprayar temple by Prime Minister Modi follows his recent remarks in Ayodhya about Kerala's famous Nalambalam yatra ceremony, a pilgrimage to the abodes of Lord Ram and his brothers Bharat, Lakshman, and Shatrughan.
This yatra is held in the state during the Malayalam month of Karkidakam.
The temple is renowned for the Nalambalam yatra, and worshipping at all these temples on a single day in the Malayalam month of Karkidakam is considered auspicious, drawing many devotees.
Later in the afternoon, during his speech in Kochi after dedicating projects worth Rs 4,000 crore, the PM said that a few days ago while inaugurating the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport at Ayodhya he had spoken about the four holy temples -- 'nalambalam' -- connected with the Ramayana.
"People outside the state of Kerala do not know that the four temples are linked to the four sons of King Dasharatha. It is a matter of fortune that I was able to offer prayers at the Thriprayar Sree Ramaswamy temple just days before the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya," he said.
Modi arrived at a helipad in Valapad, a few kilometers from the Thriprayar
temple, around 9.45 am after offering prayers at the Guruvayur temple.
Hundreds of BJP supporters and workers had gathered at the helipad and along the route to the temple, since early morning to greet Modi.
Along the route decorated with streamers in the BJP's party colours, the crowds showered his slow-moving vehicle with flowers, waved BJP flags and chanted his name.
Though the PM did not get out of the car on his way to the temple, while returning he stood on the footboard of his vehicle to wave at the people who had gathered for a glimpse of him.