Ex-PM Deve Gowda offers prayers at Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 18 (IANS) Former Prime Minister H.D.Deve Gowda on Thursday visited the famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in the state capital.

Gowda, who is the national president of the Janata Dal (S), is in the state to meet the leaders of his party, which is an ally of the ruling Left Democratic Front government led by Pinarayi Vijayan.

The 88-year-old Rajya Sabha member was accompanied by his state party colleague and Minister for Electricity K. Krishnankutty and other state leaders. Since the custom of the temple demands all males to enter the sanctum sanctorum clad in a 'dhothi', the former PM followed the rule and spent about 40 minutes in the temple.

The temple became the centre of attraction after a Supreme Court appointed panel stumbled upon six vaults inside it and with just vault B left to be opened. The treasure found in the five vaults has been estimated to be worth over Rs one lakh crore.