Chennai: 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.

Source : PTI