Thiruvananthapuram | Union Home Minister Amit Shah offered prayers at the famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple here on Sunday.

Shah, who arrived at the state capital on Saturday night for a one-day visit, reached the shrine this morning along with BJP state leaders.

The union minister, draped in a traditional kasavu (silk) shawl, was received at the shrine by the temple management authorities.

Shah's visit to the centuries-old shrine comes at a time when it is gearing up for the Lakshadeepam ritual on January 14. The auspicious ritual is held at the shrine every six years.

According to the itinerary of the union minister, he will meet the newly elected local body representatives in the state later in the day.

Subsequently, in the afternoon, he will attend a conclave and then hold a meeting with NDA leaders at the BJP state office here in the evening, it said.