UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty led prayers at Delhi’s Akshardham Temple on Sunday morning. They stayed at the temple for around 40 minutes.
According to Akshardham Temple official Jyotindra Dave, Sunak personally visited each statue and performed an aarti. Sunak chatted with the saints in the temple, and they were pleased with their visit, according to Dave.
Jyotindra Dave, an official of the Akshardham temple said, “Britain PM Rishi Sunak came with his wife Akshata and the entire team. He had a great experience and spend more than 40 minutes. He visited every statue personally, and did an aarti too. They spoke to us too and were very happy with the visit” .
During his visit, Sunak was given an overview of the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple, according to a statement. Spiritual leader of BAPS His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj gave a special message to Sunak and his team.
The note given by His Holiness read: “In the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, we pray for you and all the attendees: May the summit be a resounding success in collectively helping the whole world towards peace, righteous prosperity, and global harmony”.
In relation to Sunak’s visit, the Akshardham Temple director told India Today that Sunak called the temple administration to request a darshan. Sunak had asked the team when he could come, and was informed that he could come whenever he wanted.
“Rishi Sunak had contacted us, asking to have darshan at the temple. He had asked us what time he could visit. We told him he could come whenever he feels like,” he said. The temple director added that Sunak said he will keep coming back whenever he gets a chance to do so.
Prior to the couple’s visit to the historic temple, security surrounding the temple grounds was increased. The Delhi Traffic Police had also issued warnings following Sunak’s visit to the Akshardham Temple.
Controlled Zone 2 was introduced by the Delhi Traffic Police on Sunday, and buses would no longer operate on the Ring Road between ISBT Kashmere Gate and Sarai Kale Khan.
Buses will continue to run on the remaining Ring Road stretch and the road network beyond the Ring Road to the Delhi boundaries. Commuters heading to the airport are also urged to take the Rao Tula Ram Marg rather than the Dhaula Kuan.
Sunak stated before his temple visit that he is a proud Hindu who celebrated Raksha Bandhan but was unable to celebrate Krishna Janmashthami.
Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty arrived in Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Summit, which began on Saturday. Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey greeted the newlyweds upon their arrival.
Choubey greeted them with a Jai Siya Ram and gave them Rudraksh beads, a copy of the Bhagavad Geeta, and a Hanuman Chalisa. PM Modi and Sunak also met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, where they discussed ways to strengthen economic ties and increase investment.
