CHENNAI: A farmer built a temple for Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his farm at a village near Tiruchirappalli, saying he was impressed and had benefitted by welfare schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi.

50-year-old P Shankar, who hails from Yerkudi village of Thuraiyur town, said that he was impressed with the welfare schemes started by his government that he decided to construct a temple as a mark of respect for Modi. "I did not have a toilet facility. Now, it has been provided to us. I am impressed by all his welfare schemes reaching to the people in rural areas. Therefore, I decided to build a temple for him," he said.

A traditional 'kolam' (rangoli) welcomes people to the modest, 8 x 8 ft tiled roof temple, built at a cost of about Rs 1.2 lakh and a smiling bust of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is placed at the centre. While a traditional lamp is placed on both the sides of Modi's bespectacled bust, it also features his trademark white beard and hairstyle. Complete with a tilak on the forehead, the bust sports the Prime Minister in a pink kurta and a blue shawl. The statue has been adorned with garlands and flowers.

The farmer said he used his savings to build the temple and perform pooja everyday. "We did Bhoomi poojan of the temple eight months back. Gradually, I saved money from my earnings and thus carried out the work of temple construction," Shankar said.

The temple also has portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former chief ministers K Kamaraj, M G Ramachandran, J Jayalalithaa, and chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.