Bhubaneswar: Ace badminton player Saina Nehwal today visited the Jagannath temple at Odisha’s Puri town.
Saina (34) along with her mother offered prayers at the 12th century shrine and partook Mahaprasad.
The Indian professional badminton player spent around an hour on Jagannath temple premises.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) gifted the idols of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra to Saina.
The renowned badminton player expressed her happiness after visiting the temple. “I am extremely happy by offering prayers before Lord Jagannath. I have been away from badminton for some days due to certain injuries. I hope that I will soon resume playing badminton,” Saina said.
Saina thanked Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy for arranging her visit to the Jagannath temple. She also thanked the SJTA and the servitors of the shrine for extending a warm welcome to her.
Saina, a former World No. 1 rank holder, has won at least 24 international titles in badminton in her career.
