PM Modi in Tamil Nadu: Gangaikonda Cholapuram decked up to welcome PM Modi; police tighten security ahead of visit
The village and the Brihadisvara Temple, situated along the Tiruchi-Chidambaram National Highway, have been decked up with flags and garlands to welcome the Prime Minister, who will participate in the valediction of the Aadi Thiruvathirai festival marking the birth anniversary of Rajendra Chola I.
Mr. Modi will release a commemorative coin in honour of the king, accepting a request made by R. Komagan, Chairman of the Gangaikondacholapuram Development Council Trust.
The king had built Gangaikonda Cholapuram along with the Brihadisvara Temple and the Cholagangam, a massive lake, after his victorious expedition to the Gangetic plains about 1,000 years ago.
Reaffirming the Chola capital's link to the river, Mr. Modi would hand over a pot of water brought from the river Ganga to the temple priests. 'The Prime Minister will hand over the pot brought from Varanasi to the Sivachariars of the temple to perform abishekam,' Mr. Komagan told The Hindu.
Heads of various Saivaite mutts in Tamil Nadu are also set to participate in the event. 'About 30 heads of Saivaite maths and sadhus will attend the event. A group of 44 oduvars will recite hymns from Thiruvasagam,' Mr. Komagan said.
The Prime Minister will inspect a thematic photo exhibition on 'Saiva siddhanta and Chola Temple Arts', put up by the Archaeological Survey of India, which maintains the temple. Music composer Ilaiyaraaja will perform a 20-minute concert in the presence of Mr. Modi.
Mr. Modi is also expected to go on a roadshow from the helipad, set up near the Cholagangam, or Ponneri, to the temple. The village and the Brihadisvara Temple have been under security blanket with the deployment of over 2,000 police personnel.
On Saturday (July 26, 2025), Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat visited the temple and reviewed the arrangements.
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