TIRUCHIRAPALLI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah participated in a grand Pongal festival celebration organised by the BJP Mahila Morcha at Mannarpuram here on Monday.

The sweet delicacy Pongal made with rice, dhal and jaggery with ghee added to it as flavour, was cooked in 1,008 decorated pots attractively arranged with sugarcane placed around them.

Shah, who was accorded a reception upon his arrival at Mannarpuram, joined the party members in preparing the Pongal dish.

The BJP members organise such events to celebrate the mid-January harvest festival, naming it as "Namma Ooru Modi Pongal," a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to connect with the masses.

Mahila Morcha chief Vanathi Srinivasan, BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran, Union minister L Murgan, former state president K Annamalai and others participated.

Earlier, on the concluding day of his two-day visit to Tamil Nadu, Shah also visited the ancient Sri Jambukeshwar Akilandeshwari temple in Thiruvanaikaval and Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple in Srirangam.

On January 4, Shah addressed the valedictory of BJP state chief Nagenthran's public connect campaign "Tamilagam Thalai Nimira Tamilanin Payanam" (a Tamil's journey for Tamil Nadu to hold its head high) at nearby Pudukkottai.