Author: PTI
Publication: DNA (Daily News & Analysis)
Date: February 10, 2008
URL: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1150112
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, known
for his rationalist ideology, would visit a Hindu temple at Vellore, 140 km
from here, next week.
Karunanidhi, whose remarks on Lord Ram in
connection with the Sethusamudram project had created a nation-wide furore
a few months back, would visit the Sri Lakshmi Narayani temple, popularly
called 'Golden temple', at Sripuram near Vellore on February 16, official
sources said.
The temple has been built by 31-year-old Sri
Sakthi Amma at a cost of Rs 300 crore and is made of 1.5 tonne of gold.
The temple has become a major tourist attraction
drawing lakhs of people from across the country and abroad.
Karunanidhi would accept donations from Sri
Sakthi Amma heading Sri Narayani Peedam for a government medical scheme for
children, sources said.
Despite his strong atheist stand, Karunanidhi has met many Hindu spiritual
leaders for public cause. He had raised many an eyebrow last year by sharing
dais with Satya Sai Baba and Mata Amritanandamayi.
In January last year, he had attended a function
to felicitate Satya Sai Baba for his trust's Rs 200-crore project to refurbish
Telugu-Ganga canal to bring Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh to this metropolis.
He had also shared dais with Mata Amritanandamayi
at a function in Nagapattinam to hand over the keys of houses built by her
Trust for tsunami victims.
