PM Narendra Modi offers prayer at centuries-old Jeshoreshwari Kali temple in Bangladesh

Dhaka, Mar 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday offered prayers at the centuries-old Jeshoreshwari Kali temple in Ishwaripur village in Bangladesh''s southwestern Shatkhira district, bordering India.

Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh, was welcomed in a traditional way upon his arrival at the temple.

Inside the temple, Modi, who was wearing a mask, offered prayers and sat on the floor while the priest was reciting the religious texts.

According to Hindu mythology, the Jeshoreshwari Kali temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths, scattered across India and neighbouring countries. Records suggest a Hindu king set up the temple in the 16th century.

Ahead of his visit to Bangladesh, Modi said on Thursday that he looks forward to offering prayers to Goddess Kali at the Jashoreshwari Kali temple located in Ishwaripur village in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira, which borders West Bengal.

The Hindu community and temple authorities with the government support redecorated the temple ahead of Modi's visit.

Last time when Prime Minister Modi visited Bangladesh in 2015, he offered puja at Dhakeshwari temple in the national capital.

Bangladesh has taken extra security measures for the Indian premier''s visit in the wake of protests by few leftist and Islamist groups.

In 2016, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) said their latest vital sample statistics report found the country's total population to be 15.89 crore by the end of 2015 with the number of Hindus at 1.70 crore in the Muslim-majority nation.