Gayaji: Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of the late BJP leader and former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, performed pind daan for her mother at the Vishnupad temple in Gaya during the ongoing Pitru Paksha Mela.
The annual Pitru Paksha Mela in Gaya has drawn thousands of pilgrims from across India and abroad who come to perform rituals for their ancestors. On Friday, Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj visited Vishnupad temple, where she offered pind daan for her mother and conducted other ancestral rites, including tarpan at the Phalgu river and rituals at the sacred Akshayvat.
Bansuri told journalists she was in Gaya for religious observances and would speak on political matters later in Bodh Gaya. She remained at the temple for around two hours, completing the traditional ceremonies under the guidance of priests.
Other prominent figures have also visited the city for the rituals. Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family conducted pind daan earlier in the week, while actor Puneet Issar, best known for playing Duryodhan in the television series Mahabharat, also performed the ceremonies.
Former Uttar Pradesh education minister Ravindra Shukla Ravi was among those who carried out a three-day set of rituals, covering major sites including Vishnupad, Phalgu, Pretshila, Dharmaranya and Akshayvat.
