PM offers prayers at Srisailam temple (ANI photos)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday offered prayers and performed pooja at the Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Varla Devasthanam in Srisailam, located in Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyal district. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu accompanied the Prime Minister during the visit.Earlier in the day, CM Naidu extended a warm welcome to PM Modi as he arrived in the state to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for several key development projects.In a post on X, Naidu wrote, “On behalf of my people of Andhra Pradesh, I warmly welcome our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji, to our state.”Following his visit to Srisailam, PM Modi is scheduled to travel to Kurnool to inaugurate, dedicate to the nation, and lay the foundation stone for projects worth around Rs 13,430 crore. He is also expected to address a public gathering on the occasion, according to an official release.The projects span multiple sectors including industry, power transmission, roads, railways, defence manufacturing, and petroleum and natural gas, highlighting the government’s focus on boosting infrastructure, industrial growth, and inclusive development in Andhra Pradesh.The Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas and 52 Shakti Peeths in India. The shrine is unique as it houses both a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peeth within the same complex — a rare distinction among temples in the country.The Prime Minister will also visit the Sree Shivaji Spoorthi Kendra, a memorial complex featuring a Dhyana Mandir (meditation hall) surrounded by models of four iconic forts, Pratapgad, Rajgad, Raigad, and Shivneri, positioned at the four corners, with a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in deep meditation at the centre.The Kendra is managed by the Sree Shivaji Memorial Committee, established in Srisailam to commemorate Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s historic visit to the sacred shrine in 1677.