New Delhi: The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, along with his wife, Akshata Murty, offered prayers at Delhi’s Akshardham Temple on Sunday.
Prime Minister Sunak, currently in the city for the G20 Summit, began his day with a visit to the Akshardham Temple in the early hours. The couple, both dressed traditionally, were seen offering prayers inside the temple with bare feet before proceeding to Rajghat.
During an earlier interaction with a news agency, Prime Minister Sunak proudly identified himself as a Hindu and expressed his desire to visit a temple during his stay in the capital. He said,”I am a proud Hindu. That’s how I was raised, that’s how I am. Hopefully, I can visit the Mandir while I am here for the next couple of days. We just had Rakshabandhan, so from my sister and my cousin, I have all my Rakhis.”
Prime Minister Sunak and his convoy arrived at 6:45 AM and received a warm welcome in a traditional Hindu manner, symbolizing goodwill and friendship, according to a statement by the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple. He was greeted by swamis and senior leaders from the temple, who conveyed a special message on behalf of Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS.
The UK Prime Minister was given an overview of the 100-acre spiritual and cultural complex that portrays the traditions and ancient architecture of India and promotes the timeless Hindu spiritual messages of faith, devotion and harmony, the statement read.
Prime Minister Sunak and his wife paid their respects to sacred images, admired the art and architecture, and performed the ritual abhishek (pouring of water) on the murti of Shri Nilkanth Varni Maharaj. They also offered prayers for world peace, progress, and harmony, as stated by BAPS.
Jyotindra Dave, the Akshardham Temple Director, shared with a news agency that Sunak had an “extraordinary experience” at the temple. He mentioned,”He enjoyed every minute here. He went on extending the time and the people were really worried that he had so many programs but nobody can say that we have to go out. It is he who decides and his wife also was very happy. He performed the Pooja and Aarti with a lot of faith…We showed him the temple and also gave him a model of the temple as a gift.”
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place in and around the temple. Rishi Sunak along with his wife Akshata Murty arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit hosted by India under its Presidency.
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