Prez visits Shirdi’s Sai Baba temple

SHIRDI, MAHARASHTRA, June 1:  President Pranab Mukherjee today offered prayers at the famous Sai Baba Temple here.

Mukherjee, who is on a two-day visit of Maharashtra, spent about 15 minutes at the temple.

“It was a privilege to have the opportunity of having darshan and paying obeisance to his holiness first,” the President wrote in a visitors book after the darshan.

Elaborate security arrangements were made for the President’s visit to the temple which sees an average footfall of 25,000 devotees daily.

The temple premises, which is situated in the heart of this small town under Ahmednagar district, is spread in approximately 200 sq metres.

Priests carried out special rituals, offering of flowers among other things at Baba’s samadhi for Mukherjee amid chanting of shlokas.

Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan and Punjab Governor Shivraj V Patil accompanied Mukherjee during his visit to the shrine.

The President had yesterday visited Mumbai and Pune.

He presided over the valedictory function of Golden Jubilee of Dayanand Education Society in Latur today. (PTI)