Satkhira: Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at the centuries-old Jesoreshwari Kali Temple at Ishwaripur village in Satkhira, Bangladesh, Saturday morning, March 27, 2021. (PTI Photo)
New Delhi, March 27 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday offered prayers at a Matua temple in Bangladesh's Orakandi, the birthplace of Hindu mystic figure and Matua community's spiritual guru Harichand Thakur.
Modi, who was wearing a mask, offered prayers at the Harichand-Guruchand Temple, where he was welcomed with 'Dhaak, Shankh, Ulu' in line with local rituals.
Orakandi is the abode of hundreds of Hindu Matua community, a large number of whom are residents of West Bengal.
Ahead of his visit, Modi had said he is looking forward to his interaction with representatives of the Matua community at Orakandi, from where Sri Sri Harichand Thakur disseminated his pious message.
Analysts said Modi's planned temple visit carry a political significance at the time of the ongoing assembly elections in West Bengal.
Last time when Prime Minister Modi visited Bangladesh in 2015, he offered puja at Dhakeshwari temple in the national capital.
Bangladesh has taken extra security measures for the Indian premier's visit in the wake of protests by few leftist and Islamist groups.
In 2016, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) said their latest vital sample statistics report found the country's total population to be 15.89 crore by the end of 2015 with the number of Hindus at 1.70 crore in the Muslim-majority nation.
Speaking to the Matua community members after offering prayers at the temple, Modi said India and Bangladesh want stability, love and peace instead of instability, terror and unrest in the world, and underlined that both countries want to see the world progressing through their own development.
"Both India and Bangladesh want to see the world progressing through their own development. Both the countries want to see stability, love, and peace instead of instability, terror, and unrest in the world," Modi said.
Modi said he was waiting for this opportunity for many years and during his visit to Bangladesh in 2015, he had expressed desire to visit Orakandi, which has come true now.
"I am feeling the same emotions as felt by the Matua community members in India after coming to Orakandi," Modi said.
He said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, India and Bangladesh proved their capabilities.
"Both nations are facing this pandemic strongly and fighting it together. India is working by considering that it its duty that the 'Made in India' vaccine reaches the citizens of Bangladesh," Modi added.
The prime minister was accompanied by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Shantanu Thakur.
Addressing the Matua community, Modi said, "With the grace of Sri Sri Harichand Thakur, I have got the privilege of bowing down to this holy place of Orakandi."
Harichand Thakur, also known as Sri Sri Harichand Thakur, worked among the untouchable people of Bengal Presidency.
He formed the Matua sect of Hindus.
"Who thought that the prime minister of India would come to Orakandi sometime. I feel the same today, that my thousands of millions of brothers and sisters of 'Matua community' who live in India, come to Orakandi," said Modi.
Remembering the visit to Thakurnagar in West Bengal, the prime minister said that Matua's brothers and sisters gave me love as a family member there.
"In particular, the affinity of the 'mother-in-law', her blessings like a mother, have been precious moments in my life."
"I have brought love and good wishes for you on behalf of your 130 crore brothers and sisters in India at the national festival of Bangladesh.
"Many congratulations and warm greetings to all of you on the completion of 50 years of Bangladesh's independence," he added.
