BHUBANESWAR: President of Nepal Bidhya Devi Bhandari, who is on a two-day visit to the State, visited Lingaraj temple here on Thursday evening.
Accompanied by Brahman Nijog, Pujapanda Nijog, Badu Nijog and Suara Nijog servitors, she offered prayers in the sanctum sanctorum of the 11th-century shrine and went around temples of Bada Ganesha, Parvati and Bhubaneswari while conducting the ‘Bedha Parikrama’.
Later, the Nepal President handed over a cheque of `20,000 as donation to the Lingaraj temple management trust.
She spoke to servitors about architecture and cleanliness of the temple. Later, the temple trust gave a framed photograph of Damodar Besha of Lord Lingaraj to Bhandari.
Though she was scheduled to arrive at 4.45 pm, Bhandari came to the temple at 6.30 pm following a two-hour delay in her arrival at Bhubaneswar. She stayed in the temple for 25 minutes.
Earlier last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the shrine.