Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the 12th-century Dhakeshwari temple in Dhaka Sunday morning on the second and concluding day of his Bangladesh visit.
He then headed to the Ramkrishna Mission nearby and was greeted by the monks at the mission.
“An early morning temple visit. PM @narendramodi worships at the Sree Sree Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted.
Modi was offered a memento by the temple authorities. The 800-year-old Sri Dhakeshwari Temple in the Lalbagh area is state-owned, giving it the distinction of being Bangladesh’s “national temple”.
The PM then visited the Ramkrishna Mission at Gopibagh where he posed for pictures with saffron-robed monks of the Ramakrishna order.
“Last month in Kolkata. This month in Dhaka. PM visits Ramakrishna Mission in Bangladesh,” Swarup tweeted.
The Dhaka Ramakrishna Mission Math is a branch of the Belur Math, which PM Modi visited last month when he was in Kolkata.
Modi then inaugurated the newly-constructed Indian High Commission’s Chancery at Baridhara.
Modi is scheduled to meet President Abdul Hamid at the Bangabhaban where he, on behalf of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, will receive the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour from President Hamid.
He will also attend a luncheon hosted by the president.
In the afternoon, PM Modi will meet a number of political and business leaders including Leader of the Opposition Raushan Ershad and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
He will then address the Indian community at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the evening before leaving for New Delhi.
BBN/SS/ANS