When Modi lookalike was whisked away by security officials at Shravanabelagola

SHRAVANABELAGOLA: Last week, the devotees at Shravanabelagola were upset as they could not have glimpse of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who visited the shrine for a short while. But on Friday, Modi fans were elated to catch a Modi lookalike amidst crowd at Vindhyagiri Hills.

So much was the attention grabbed by Sadananda Nayak of Udupi district, the police had to whisk him away from the crowd to allow people to climb the Vindhyagiri hills. 

Sadananda Nayak has now become a popular face among BJP conventions and religious programmes who poses as Prime Minister Modi.“I have worked as a cook for 25 years. Once I was going to Haridwar along with devotees in a train. I was accompanying the visiting group as a cook. Many people, who met me on the train, started recognising me as a lookalike of Prime Minister Modi. Later in Ujire during a Krishna Janmashtami function I came dressed as Modi and since then there was no looking back. I campaigned in Gujarat during recent polls and have also attended functions of Narendra Modi,” Sadanada said.

Namaste, Bapu

If ‘Modi’ mania had gripped devotees at Vindhyagiri, a Mahatma Gandhi lookalike too did not go unnoticed. People gathered around him for photographs. Augustine D’Almeida from Goa is a Gandhi lookalike. 

Yaduveer participates in anointing ceremony
Shravanabelagola: It was a special day at Mamamastakabhisheka on Friday, when Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar of  Mysuru royal family scaled Vindhyagiri for anointing Lord Bahubali in Shravanabelagola. Besides chief pontiff of Shravanabelagola mutt Charukeerthi Bhattarak swamiji other pontiffs too joined Yaduveer. Charukeerthi swamiji said the relation between Mysuru royal family and Shravanabelagola shrine exists since centuries and presence of Yaduveer in veneration is a great respect to previous Mysuru kings who patronised the shrine. The family of Mysuru Wadiyars has been patrons of Jain Mutt in Shravanabelagola since 16th century.