Pathanamthitta (Ker), Aug 18 (PTI) Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday visited Sabarimala, his 26th pilgrimage, and the first as a minister, to the Lord Ayyappa temple here.

Also Read | Marriage Important for Women in India, Supreme Court Sets Aside High Court Order Granting Divorce to Husband.

The minister had arrived here on Wednesday evening and commenced his climb to the hill top shrine in the morning.

Also Read | Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan Meet Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to Support National Road Safety Mission Across India.

"Headng 4 my yearly prayers at #Sabarimalai Temple -after 2 years of missing it due to #COVID19. Startng wth my Irumudi Kettu ceremony in morning. This is my 26th yr of this annual tradtn for me! #Swamisharanam," he had tweeted on Wednesday.

He had also tweeted details and photographs of his journey from Bengaluru to Kochi by air and then from there by road to Pathanamthitta.

On Thursday, he tweeted photographs of his climb to the hill top shrine and his return after offering prayers.

"Climbing to #Sabarimala to hv my darshan wth Lord Ayyappa - tougher going tdy than previous years bcoz of recent heavy Viral Chest infection," he tweeted.

In the evening he returned to Delhi from Kochi by air.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)