PM Modi to release commemorative coin honouring Emperor Rajendra Chola 1 in TN today

Chennai, July 27 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu, will on Sunday attend the grand 'Aadi Thiruvathirai' celebrations at the historic Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple to mark 1,000 years of Emperor Rajendra Chola’s maritime expedition.

He will also release a commemorative coin honouring Emperor Rajendra Chola I during the ceremony, celebrating the legacy of the Chola king’s Southeast Asian naval expedition and the temple’s millennial anniversary.

His visit follows a high-profile day in the state, which included the inauguration of major development projects worth Rs 4,900 crore and a significant political meeting with AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

On Saturday evening, after arriving in Tuticorin from the Maldives, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the newly developed terminal building at Tuticorin Airport, built for Rs 452 crore. He also laid foundation stones and dedicated several infrastructure projects, including power transmission works related to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, doubling of key railway lines, electrification of the Madurai-Bodinayakkanur railway section, and logistics enhancements at the V.O. Chidambaranar Port.

Following these engagements, PM Modi reached Tiruchirappalli and checked into a private star hotel for the night. Later that night, he held a closed-door meeting with AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami at Trichy Airport. This marks their first formal interaction since the AIADMK renewed its alliance with the BJP ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

The meeting is seen as politically significant amid ongoing deliberations over power-sharing and seat allocation within the NDA in Tamil Nadu.

This morning, at 11 a.m., the Prime Minister, while on his way to the Trichy Airport, will greet the public, particularly at key points like the Cantonment and Bharathidasan Road, where iron barricades have been erected to facilitate a brief roadshow.

From the airport, PM Modi will travel by helicopter to Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Upon arrival, he will be welcomed with a poorna kumbham by the seer of the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam. A maha abhishekam using holy Ganga water brought from Varanasi will be performed to Lord Brihadeeswarar.

The Prime Minister is expected to spend three minutes in silent meditation at the sanctum sanctorum and then visit an archaeological photo exhibition arranged by the state’s Department of Archaeology.

The cultural segment of the event will feature a special symphony concert by music maestro Ilaiyaraaja, which the Prime Minister is expected to attend briefly. At 1.45 p.m., he will depart by helicopter from Gangaikonda Cholapuram and land at Trichy Airport by 2.25 p.m. PM Modi is scheduled to return to Delhi at 2.30 p.m.

--IANS

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