Sri Lankan president to worship at Tirupati shrine

Ahead of the World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka at Mumbai, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will offer prayers for the success of his team at the Lord Venkateswara hill shrine near Tirupati.

The Lankan president will visit the temple tonight or in the early hours of Saturday, temple sources said.

An ardent devotee of Lord Venkateswara, Rajapaksa after an overnight stay on the hills, will fly to Mumbai to watch the final at the Wankhede stadium on Saturday, the sources said.

The Sri Lankan resident will arrive at Renigunta airport, 15kms from Tirupati, by a special Lankan aircraft at 16.00hrs and reach the hills by road, the sources said.

Earlier, Rajapaksa had visited the shrine on October 31, 2009, the sources added.