PM Modi to take part in Shodashopachara pooja at Janaki temple

Mahendranagar, Dhanusa – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – set to arrive in Nepal for an official visit – will be taking part in the Shodashopachara worship ceremony at the Janaki temple in Janakpur today. 

The Shodashopachara worship ceremony – the sixteen ritualistic services including tantric mantra recitation – is permitted for only special guests at the Janaki temple. 

According to Janaki temple's Priest Ramatpeshwor Das Vaishnav, the worship ceremony of the kind has been held only by visiting Indian Presidents Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Gyani Zail Singh and Pranab Mukherjee in the past. 

Modi will become the first Indian Prime Minister to hold such a worship ceremony at the temple. The Shodashopachara worship ceremony, which lasts for around an hour, includes Pancha Ahuti and mantra recitation by five pundits. During the ritual, the idol of Hindu Goddess Sita is honoured with beautification and decorated with clothes and jewels. 
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