Modi offers prayers before first foreign trip after assuming power for 2nd term

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today offered prayers at the Sri Krishna Temple in Guruvayur in Kerala, shortly before his visit to the Maldives which is his first foreign destination since assuming power for a second straight term, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Attired in a traditional Kerala dress ‘mundu’ and ‘veshti,’ Modi performed a ritual in which he weighed himself against lotus flowers on a giant scale. He also offered various items including ghee, a special variety of red banana among other things, the New Delhi correspondent reports.

“The Guruvayur Temple is divine and magnificent. Prayed at this iconic Temple for the progress and prosperity of India,” he tweeted.

After the prayers Modi met temple officials who submitted a memorandum for its development. The Guruvayur temple is one of Kerala’s most famous shrines.

Modi’s visit came just over a week after he was sworn in as the Prime Minister for a second consecutive term after steering his Bharatiya Janata Party to a landslide win in parliamentary elections. He will leave for the Maldives later in the afternoon on a two-day visit that will also take him to Sri Lanka on way back home.