Modi to release coin marking 1,000 years of Rajendra Chola’s maritime expedition
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Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu, will on Sunday take part in the grand ‘Aadi Thiruvathirai’ celebrations at the historic Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple, marking 1,000 years since Emperor Rajendra Chola’s maritime expedition.
During the event, Modi will release a commemorative coin in honor of Rajendra Chola I, celebrating the Chola king’s Southeast Asian naval campaign and the temple’s millennial anniversary.
The visit follows a busy day of engagements on Saturday, including the inauguration of development projects worth Rs 4,900 crore and a closed-door meeting with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami. The meeting, held at Trichy Airport, was their first formal interaction since the AIADMK renewed its alliance with the BJP ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
Earlier on Saturday evening, after arriving in Tuticorin from the Maldives, Modi inaugurated the new terminal building at Tuticorin Airport, built at a cost of Rs 452 crore. He also laid the foundation for and dedicated several infrastructure projects, such as power transmission works linked to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, doubling of key railway lines, electrification of the Madurai-Bodinayakkanur railway section, and logistics upgrades at V.O. Chidambaranar Port.
On Sunday morning, Modi will greet the public at key points along his route to Trichy Airport, where iron barricades have been set up for a brief roadshow. He will then travel by helicopter to Gangaikonda Cholapuram, where he will be welcomed with a poorna kumbham by the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam seer.
A maha abhishekam using Ganga water from Varanasi will be performed for Lord Brihadeeswarar. Modi will spend three minutes in silent meditation at the sanctum sanctorum and visit an archaeological photo exhibition arranged by the state’s Department of Archaeology.
The cultural programme will include a special symphony concert by music maestro Ilaiyaraaja, which Modi is expected to attend briefly. He will depart Gangaikonda Cholapuram at 1.45 p.m., reach Trichy Airport by 2.25 p.m., and fly back to Delhi at 2.30 p.m.
