Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada visits Someshwara Temple at Bangalore; offered Pooja

BANGALORE, NOVEMBER 8 2012 : World’s Second largest Country Canada’s  Prime Minister Mr Stephen Harper, along with his wife  Ms Laureen Harper, visited the historic Sree Someshwara Temple at Ulsoor  in Bangalore, on Thursday evening.

Mr Harper and his spouse came to the temple on barefoot. The Minister for Muzrai Mr Kota Srinivasa Poojari and the Commissioner for Muzrai Mr Dayashankar received the dignitaries at the temple gates.  The Temple Priest Sri Sundar Dixit explained the history of the temple, which has a mixture of Chola, Hoysala and Vijayanagar architecture, to the Harpers.

We have married again :

The priest then put a shawl on the shoulders of the Prime Minister and  garlanded him with flowers of the famous Mysore Jasmine buds  (Mysooru  Mallige Moggina Haara).  Later, he gave another shawl and a garland and asked him to put the same on his spouse.  Mr Harper garlanded his spouse. Ms Laureen Harper appeared excited  and thrilled when she was garlanded with the flowers of Jasmine buds.  Observing this, Mr Harper was smart to quip  “ We have married again ! ” The priest blessed the couple by saying Dheergayushmaan  Bhavah ( Long Live ).

The Prime Minister had a deep look at the Gopuram ( the Main Entrance ) and was amused to see the temple architecture inside. The Harpers stood in front of the Sree Kaamakshaamba and Sree Someshwara Swamy Uyyale Mantapa, where the decorated idols of Lord Shiva and Parvathi was there. The priest chanted mantras and performed Aarathi. The Harpers took the Aarathi and touched their eyes.

After taking a round of the temple  ( Pradakshina ) the Harpers gave ample time to photographers to take snaps.  The camera lights stopped, but the smiles on the faces of the dignitaries continued !

About Stephen Harper:

Stephen Joseph Harper PC MP (born April 30, 1959) is the twenty-second and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became Prime Minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election. He is the first Prime Minister from the newly reconstituted Conservative Party, following a merger of the Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties.

Harper has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Calgary Southwest in Alberta since 2002. Earlier, from 1993 to 1997, he was the MP for Calgary West. He was one of the founding members of the Reform Party, but did not seek re-election, and instead joined, and shortly thereafter led, the National Citizens Coalition. In 2002, he succeeded Stockwell Day as leader of the Canadian Alliance (the successor to the Reform Party) and returned to parliament as Leader of the Opposition. In 2003, he reached an agreement with Progressive Conservative leader Peter MacKay for the merger of their two parties to form the Conservative Party of Canada. He was elected as the party’s first non-interim leader in March 2004.

About Canada:

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Canada is the world’s second-largest country by total area, and itscommon border with the United States is the world’s longest land border.

Canada is a federal state governed as a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. The country is officially bilingual and multicultural at the federal level, with a population of approximately 33.4 million as of 2011. Canada’s advanced economy is one of the world’s largest and relies largely upon its natural resources and international trade, particularly with the United States, with which it has had a long and complex relationship. Per capita income is the world’s ninth highest, and Canada ranks sixth globally in human development. It performs favourably in international rankings of education, quality of life, government transparency, and economic freedom. Canada is a member of the G7, G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO, Commonwealth of Nations, Francophonie, OAS, APEC, and the United Nations.

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