Sri Lankan President prays at Tirumala temple

 Tirupati, Oct 8: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirise on Sunday offered prayers at the famed Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala here. He along with his wife Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari and son Daham Sirise offered prayers during ‘Suprabatham Seva’, said an official of Tirumala Tirupati Devastham (TTD), which mages the affairs of the hill shrine. After ‘darshan’, the President was given holy water - ‘Teertham’, and was extended ‘Satari’ honours. Veda pundits of the temple blessed him with Vedic hymns at Rangayakula Mandapam. TTD EO Anil Kumar Singhal and Joint Executive Officer K.S. Sreenivasa Raju welcomed the Sri Lankan President and later presented him ‘prasadam’. The TTD officials briefed Sirise about the importance of the temple and various rituals. President Sirise had visited the temple in August last year and in February 2015. (IANS)