Temple to India PM Modi scrapped
Fans of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have scrapped plans to open a temple dedicated to him after he said he was "appalled" by the idea.
Modi tweeted that it was "shocking and against India's great traditions" and urged those who had built the temple "not to do it".
The Hindu temple, with an idol of Modi, was to open in Kotharia village in his home state of Gujarat on Sunday.
Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP took office in May.
He had his first major political setback earlier this week when the party was trounced in elections for the Delhi state assembly.
In India, deifying politicians, film stars and cricketers is relatively common.
Temples have been built in the memory of former prime minister Indira Gandhi and popular film star-turned-politician NT Rama Rao.
Last January, a temple with an idol of Sonia Gandhi, the head of India's main opposition Congress party, was opened by a supporter in southern India.
This is the second temple to Modi - a priest in Kaushambi district in northern India had placed a statue of Modi alongside a statue of Hindu god Shiva to pray for his victory in last year's general election.
Reports say the temple is still in operation.
'Incarnation'
Some 350 Modi supporters reportedly collected donations for the construction of a dome-roofed temple, some 210km (130 miles) from Gujarat's main city of Ahmedabad.
Modi served as the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 until becoming prime minister.
The supporters initially put a framed photograph of the prime minister in the temple, but later bought an idol for 170,000 rupees ($2,724; £1,789).
"We believe he is an incarnation of God as after he became chief minister of Gujarat things changed for the better," one supporter, Ramesh Undhad, told AFP news agency.
Modi tweeted on Thursday that building such temples was not what Indian culture was about.
"Personally, it made me very sad. Would urge those doing it not to do it," he wrote.
He urged his supporters to donate time and resources to worthy causes.
Those behind the Gujarat temple said they would convert it into a holy place honouring Mother India instead.
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