Rajnath Singh offers prayers at Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirupati

Tirupati: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday offered prayers at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at nearby Tirumala in Tirupati.

The temple management honoured the minister with a sacred silk cloth and laddu prasadam while priests showered him with blessings, a top temple official said. Singh flew in Tirupati from Vijayawada last night on a 14-hour spiritual visit.

After an overnight halt in the hills, the 66-year-old BJP veteran paid his obeisance to Lord Sri Venkateswara at the shrine in Sunup and following a brief break at the guest house, left for New Delhi.

It is his second visit to the 2000-year-old hill temple. Earlier, the minister had worshipped at the ancient shrine on December 11, 2015, sources added. Meanwhile, tight security was put in place in view of Singh's visit here.