Tirupati: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena today offered prayers at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at nearby Tirumala. It is his third visit to the temple town as Head of State, since 2015.    

Before offering prayers at the Tirumala Temple, Sirisena accompanied by his wife Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari and some Sri Lankan officials, participated in the pre-dawn 'Suprabhatha' recitation ritual conducted by Vedic seers inside the shrine.    

Sirisena arrived here yesterday by road from Bengaluru, about 250 KM from here. After offering worship, the Sri Lankan President was honoured with a sacred silk cloth of the presiding deity, a framed photo of Lord Venkateswara and 'prasadam’ by AK Singhal, Executive Officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which governs the hill temple.    

Priests, amid chanting of Vedic hymns, blessed him at Sri Ranganayakula Mandapam in the shrine, temple officials told PTI. Later, he left for Benguluru by road to fly back to Colombo. He had previously visited the shrine in February 2015 and in August 2016. PTI