P Shankar wanted to do something to show his affection and love for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

So, the 50-year-old worker of the Prime Minister’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Tamil Nadu’s Trichy district built a temple to honour and worship him on his farm.

The small tiled structure in Erakudi village under Thuraiyur block has created a buzz locally as the ‘NaMo Temple’ and people have been coming to visit it from nearby areas.

“It all started before the Lok Sabha elections. As I wanted Modi to become the Prime Minister for the second consecutive time, I was determined to build a temple on my land,” Shankar, who also serves as the president of the Erakudi Village Farmers Association, said.

He says he built the temple to show his affection for Modi for implementing several schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKSN).

“After the PM announced the PMKSN assistance for farmers, I was very happy. I had chosen a piece of my land to build a temple for him and I had been toying with the idea since 2014 though,” he proudly says.

“I put my own hard-earned money Rs 120,000 to build the NaMo Temple for our PM. I did not borrow a single rupee from anyone for this temple,” he adds.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions to medical and dental colleges across the country implemented by the Modi government was another reason behind him building the temple.

“My daughter secured 1105 marks in the Plus Two publicexamination. When she wrote the medical entrance, she failed by two marks. Theprivate medical colleges demanded Rs 50 lakh for admission. So, I admitted herin Anna University in computer science engineering discipline,” Shankar says.

“After the implementation of NEET, a candidate who has theright capability is getting admissions. NEET has destroyed the illegal medicaladmission business,” he says.

When asked about the idol, he says it is made up of cementand stone.

“I tried to order a metal idol for the temple. However,people said it would cost around one lakh. Then I planned to do it with granitestone, the makers demanded Rs.80,000. As I am a poor farmer, I decided to gowith two-feet high stone and cement at a cost of Rs.10,000. The rest of themoney has gone into building the structure,” he noted.

The temple also has photographs of AIADMK leaders MGRamachandran, J Jayalalithaa and chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami asShankar says he admires them and “any way they are our allies.”

Shankar says he would perform the “kumbabishekam” – a ritualto open temples – by inviting top leaders of the BJP. Though he is hoping thatthe Prime Minister himself would inaugurate the temple, but “morerealistically” he will invite state leaders.

“On December 22, we celebrated our grandson’s secondbirthday here before the temple. I have not opened it officially by conductingthe kumbabishekam. I am about to invite top BJP leaders like H Raja, PonRadhakrishnan to open the temple once the local body elections are completed.Though will be happier if the PM himself does it,” he adds.

The BJP worker says he has been performing rituals at thetemple four times every day.

 “I was thinking aboutappointing a priest to do rituals. But it may cost much. So, I am doing poojason my own,” Shankar, who considers “Modi as a God who has come to developIndia”, says.

He also says footfall to his temple is steadily increasingin spite of not being formally opened and the news about it has spread only byword of mouth in the past few days.

“At least 150 people have visited my temple in the pastthree days from neighbouring villages. Women are the majority who visit theNaMo Temple,” he says.

Shankar has also been guarding the temple during the nightas protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) are intensifying acrossthe state.

“CAA is good for the nation. Our Prime Minister has promisedthat it would not affect any Indian citizen. But still, people are politicisingthe issue for their gain. As protests are frequently occurring against CAA, Iwas told that people opposing CAA would demolish my temple. So, I am sleepingin front of the temple at night despite heavy fog and cold,” he says.

Asked what he would like to see Modi do next, Shankar sayshe hopes that rivers in south India are linked to prevent the recurring droughtand flood in the region.

“Though I have 10 acres of land, I have not been verysuccessful at farming due to water availability issues. After I got the drip irrigationimplementation subsidy, I am managing to do farming activities. However, it isessential to link south Indian rivers for avoiding droughts,” he says.

Shankar, who has been growing his hair and beard since thenational elections were announced in March this year, says he will also tonsurehis head at the Palani Murugan Temple in Dindigul district.

“When I started the building work at the time of LS polls, Iprayed to Lord Murugan that he should shower his blessings for our PM to rulethe nation again. I believe in answer to my prayers, Lord Murugan has alsofavoured the PM to form the government. Soon, I will walk 180km to reach Palanifor tonsuring my head,” he says.

The spokesperson of the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit, M Kanimozhi,says Shankar’s ‘devotion’ is proof that PM Modi has made an impact on farmersand party’s grass root level workers.

“Shankar is an ordinary farmer and he does not hold any highpost in the party. A primary member has shown his love for our PM by building atemple,” Kanimozhi told HT.

“He did not even inform the party before he decided to buildthis temple. He has done this at his own effort. This shows BJP is growing inTamil Nadu. Our leaders will decide about the visit to the temple,” she says.

Chennai-based political analyst Aazhi Senthilnathan saidthis kind of ‘idol worship’ of political leaders is an old phenomenon and justa cultural expression.

“In Tamil Nadu, the practice of erecting temples forindividuals was derived from Naattar Vazhakku Vaazhviyal – folk tradition. Whena fan or party worker starts to see his favourite actor or political leader asequal to the god, he/she starts to build temples as a devotee,” Senthilnathansaid while speaking to HT.

“Tamil Nadu has so many of such temples for leaders likelate CMs AIADMK founder MGR, DMK leader M Karunanidhi, and AIADMK’s lategeneral secretary J Jayalalithaa. A few may have constructed a temple merelyfor the sake of drawing attention,” he points.

Shankar though stoutly denies any such suggestion and sayshe has done all of this just to “express his love for PM Modi”.