DHAKA: A day after clinching the city, Narendra Modi on Saturday visited Varanasi and offered prayers at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple.

After visiting the temple, the Prime Minister-elect went to the famed Dashashwamedh Ghat and took part in ‘Ganga aarti’ for about half-an-hour amid chanting of ‘shlokas’ and blowing of conch shells.

Modi was accompanied by BJP president Rajnath Singh, his close aide Amit Shah and party UP chief Lakshmikant Bajpai.

His coming to the holy city is seen as a gesture of gratitude towards people here who have elected him by a huge margin of over 3 lakh votes.

The Gujarat chief minister thanked people here for playing a major role in the formation of BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

A huge electronic lotus (artificial lotus) was floated in the middle of the Ganga river.

Local police along with Gujarat police, local intelligence unit sleuths and central forces were deployed in the entire area on the banks of the Ganga river at Rajendra Prasad ghat, reports The Times of India.

BDST: 2206 HRS, MAY 17, 2014