Prime Minister Narendra Modi is greeted by children as he arrives at the New Chancery Complex in Dhaka. (Photo: PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday offered prayers at the famous 12th century Dhakeshwari temple and paid a visit to the Ramakrishna Mission Mutt here, in an apparent effort to reach out to the Hindu community in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
While the state-owned Dhakeshwari temple is regarded as the most revered place for the Hindu community in the country, the Ramakrishna Mission, with which Mr Modi has a long association, is a branch of Kolkata-based Belur Mutt.
During a visit to Kolkata last month, Mr Modi had referred to Swami Atmasthananda, the President of the order, as his “Guruji”. He had also visited the Ramakrishna Mutt and Mission headquarters at Belurmath.
Mr Modi spent around 15 minutes at the Dhakeshwari temple, which is considered an essential part of Dhaka’s cultural heritage and one of the major “Shaktipeeths” of the region. Since the destruction of Ramna Kali Mandir in 1971 by the Pakistan Army during the Bangla Liberation War, the Dhakeshwari temple has assumed status as the most important Hindu place of worship in Bangladesh.
Members of the temple authorities felt Mr Modi’s visit to Dhakeshwari signified a message of solidarity to the Hindu community. The name “Dhakeshwari” means “Goddess of Dhaka” and experts say the Bangladesh capital derived its name from it.
Mr Modi was felicitated by the priests and authorities of the temple. He was given a replica of Goddess Dhakeshwari and a shawl besides other memorabilia.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had visited the temple when she came here in June last year. The Dhakeshwari temple was built in the 12th century by Ballal Sen, a King of Sena dynasty.
The temple, , which is thronged by thousands of people daily, was closed for around one hour in the morning due to Mr Modi’s visit.
In 1996, Dhakeshwari temple was given the status of national temple following a major campaign by Hindu groups who had been demanding official recognition for it. Later, Mission Headquarters (Kolkata) chief Swami Suhitananda and Dhaka Mission Principal Swami Dhruveshananda welcomed Modi at the Math. The Math authorites presented two commemoratives and a biography of Swami Vivekananda to the Prime Minister.