PM Modi Offers Prayers At Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple On Rajendra Chola Jayanti | Video

Tamil Nadu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday offered prayers at Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the great Chola emperor Rajendra Chola I.

The Prime Minister received a warm welcome from the local pandits in the temple. He was dressed up in a white veshti (dhoti), a white shirt, and an angavasthram worn around the neck while attending the Aadi Thiruvathirai Festival there.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu, held a roadshow in the Tiruchirappalli district.

His convoy received a warm welcome from the commoners gathered to witness his arrival.

The police made security arrangements and other preparations ahead of PM Modi's visit to Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple in Tamil Nadu's Ariyalur.

On the final day of his two-day visit to Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in the commemoration of 1,000 years since the maritime expedition of Rajendra Chola I to Southeast Asia, as well as to mark the commencement of construction on the Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple.

According to an official press release, Prime Minister Modi will release a commemorative coin honouring one of India's greatest emperors, Rajendra Chola I, during a public event at the Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple to celebrate the Aadi Thiruvathirai Festival.

Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi laid the foundation stone, inaugurated and dedicated to the nation development projects worth over Rs 4,800 crore in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi.

A series of landmark projects across multiple sectors that will significantly enhance regional connectivity, boost logistics efficiency, strengthen clean energy infrastructure, and improve the quality of life for citizens across Tamil Nadu, as per a release.

Rajendra Chola I (1014-1044 CE) was one of the most powerful and visionary rulers in Indian history. Under his leadership, the Chola Empire expanded its influence across South and Southeast Asia. He established Gangaikonda Cholapuram as the imperial capital after his victorious campaigns, and the temple he built there served as a beacon of Shaiva devotion, monumental architecture, and administrative prowess for over 250 years.

Today, the temple stands as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its intricate sculptures, Chola bronzes, and ancient inscriptions.

The Aadi Thiruvathirai festival also celebrates the rich Tamil Shaiva Bhakti tradition, fervently supported by the Cholas and immortalised by the 63 Nayanmars--the saint-poets of Tamil Shaivism. Notably, Rajendra Chola's birth star, Thiruvathirai (Ardra), begins on July 23, making this year's festival all the more significant.

(With inputs from ANI)

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