Ahmedabad: A temple dedicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to open in his home state of Gujarat. The Hindu temple, to be officially opened on Sunday in Kotharia village, includes an idol of the barrel-chested, dapper-dressed premier at which followers can make daily offerings and prayers.
About 350 Modi devotees have been collecting small donations in recent years for construction of the dome-roofed temple, some 210 kilometres (130 miles) from Gujarat's main city of Ahmedabad.
"Earlier we used to offer prayers to Bharat Mata (Mother India). But in the last few years we have been offering prayers to Modiji," said Ramesh Undhad, using a Hindi honorific for respect.
"We had kept a framed photograph of Modiji beside the statue of Mother India," Undhad, a former local councillor and head of the project, told AFP.
Followers in Kotharia village, however, are unwavering in their support.
"We believe he is an incarnation of God as after he became chief minister of Gujarat things changed for the better," Undhad said.
"There was no communal violence during his tenure as chief minister. Peace and harmony has prevailed in Gujarat for over a decade."
Local legislators will dedicate the temple -- which cost between 400,000 rupees to 500,000 rupees in a ceremony on Sunday.
