HYDERABAD: Union home minister Amit Shah offered prayers at the Sri Ujjaini Mahankali temple at Secunderabad soon after his arrival in the city on Sunday.
With the police maintaining a tight perimeter for his convoy, people gathered on terraces of adjacent buildings and streets to see the minister, who enthusiastically waved in acknowledgement.
Accompanied by Cabinet colleague G. Kishan Reddy and BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar amid tight security, Shah, who reached the temple at 2.10 pm and was there for 20 minutes, was welcomed by the priests and temple committee officials, including executive officer Manohar Reddy.
The priest Ramatheertha Sharma, who performed the puja, said “This is the last Sunday of Sravana Masam, which is an auspicious day. We performed a special abhishekam in the morning and welcomed Amit Shah to the sound of the nadaswaram.”
He said officials explained the 200-year-old history of the temple. “The goddess Mahankali is known for answering all the prayers of devotees.” Ramatheertha Sharma said.
“After the puja, Shah wrote ‘Jai Kalimata’ and ‘Jai Mahankali’ in Hindi in a diary and signed it before leaving. He was given a framed photo of the presiding deity to mark the occasion,” he said.
Later, Shah took to Twitter to post in Telugu and shared photos of his temple visit before leaving at about 2.30 pm.
“Today I am starting my Telangana tour with a visit to Sri Ujjaini Mahankali Ammavaru, a famous temple in Secunderabad. May Kalimata, the Goddess of power and ability, bestow her blessings on all. Jai Kali Mata!” he tweeted.
The city police deployed a huge force, including officials from City Armed Reserve, CRPF and other departments to ensure smooth movement of the minister’s convoy.
