Kerala is as dear to me as Varanasi: PM Modi

Thrissur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Sree Krishna Temple in Guruvayur in Thrissur on Saturday. He visited Kerala for the first time after getting re-elected as Prime Minister.

In his first public engagement after the Lok Sabha elections, Modi said that he made Kerala his first stop despite having no MP from the state as Kerala was as dear to him as his constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

"I come to Kerala with a deep sense of gratitude to the people," the Prime Minister said, adding "Yes, our party did not win a seat here, but I will serve the state with great vigour and deepen the bond with its wonderful citizens."

"Those who made us win are ours, those who did not make us win are also ours," Modi said.

Modi landed at the Naval air base in Kochi late Friday night, around 11 pm, and proceeded to the Ernakulam Guest House for the night. This morning, he took a chopper to reach the temple.

After offering prayers at the temple, Modi tweeted: "The Guruvayur Temple is divine and magnificent. Prayed at this iconic Temple for the progress and prosperity of India."

The Prime Minister also performed a 'thulabharam' (a ritual with weighing scales) using lotus flowers. He has visited the temple in the past during his stint as the chief minister of Gujarat. This is his first visit to a religious place since becoming the PM for a second term.

The centuries-old temple, located in Thrissur district, is one of the important places of Hindu worship in the state.