Kerala: When PM Modi Led the Wedding Ceremony of Malayalam Superstar's Daughter at Krishna Temple

Guruvayur temple in Kerala’s Thrissur district has the rare credit of being the location of the highest number of weddings in a single day at 277, a feat it achieved in 2017. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a marriage ceremony at this temple and performed kanyadaan for bride Bhagya Suresh, daughter of Malayalam superstar and former BJP MP Suresh Gopi.

At 8.45 am, adorned in a Kerala-style white dhoti and shawl, the prime minister handed over garlands to the couple, who exchanged them at a mandapam in front of the temple. He blessed the couple, who touched his feet after the traditional ceremony attended by the likes of Mammootty, Mohanlal, Dileep, Jayaram, Khushboo and Biju Menon.

Despite the grandeur, Bhagya chose an simple and elegant look for the wedding by donning an orange silk saree. On January 15, Suresh Gopi and his family also offered a five-sovereign golden crown to Our Lady of Lourdes Metropolitan Cathedral in Thrissur as an offering.

Before blessing the couple, Prime Minister Modi started the day by offering prayers at the Guruvayur temple. He took part in a thulabharam at the temple, an offering to the deity by weighing against a commodity — in this case, lotus buds akin to his weight. He also blessed four more couples out of the 77 couples, who tied the knot at the shrine on Wednesday.

Following the temple ceremony, a wedding reception took place at the Gokulam Convention Centre with several dignitaries in attendance.

Gopi, the National Award-winning actor and former nominated member of Rajya Sabha, is expected to be the BJP candidate from Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency. In 2019, he staggered both the rival alliances, led by CPM and Congress, with an impressive show by adding 17.05 percent votes to the BJP as compared to 2014, coming in close behind the Left candidate.

Ahead of Ram Lalla’s ‘pran pratishtha’ on January 22, the PM also offered prayers at the famous Thriprayar Sree Ramaswamy Temple, which is renowned for being a part of a pilgrimage to the abodes of Ram and his brothers. He also offered prayers at the Sree Ramaswamy temple situated on the bank of the Karuvannur river, also known as Theevra river.