Hariharnath Temple at Sonepur in Chhapra. Telegraph picture

Chhapra, Nov. 6: RJD chief Lalu Prasad recently visited Baba Hariharnath Temple at Sonepur and promised to renovate and beautify the shrine.

Sources said Lalu has promised to contribute Rs 50 lakh for the renovation.

A source said: “According to the renovation plan, silver umbrellas would be installed over the idol of Lord Vishnu and the Shiva lingam at the temple. The garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) would have a granite floor. The entire cost would be borne by Lalu. For this, he has taken the permission from the Bihar State Religious Board president.”

Devendra Singh, the secretary of Hariharnath Temple Trust Board, told The Telegraph: “Laluji had come on November 3. He worshipped at the temple. Workers from Bangalore and Varanasi have come here to understand the nature of the work.”

Treasurer of the board, Vijay Kumar Lalla, said: “Entrance and exit gates would also be built. The total cost would be nearly Rs 50 lakh.”

Neither Lalu nor his secretary was available for comment. RJD MP Ram Kripal Yadav, however, said he had no knowledge about any money pledged by his party chief to the temple. “Laluji has been offering his prayers in this temple for years. At present, he is getting some repair work done. He was also instrumental in getting some repairs done earlier,” he added.

Lalu has represented Sonepur in the Assembly twice. At present, he is MP from Saran constituency. His devotion for the Hariharnath Temple is well known.

According to mythology, the temple — at Sonepur on the confluence of Ganga and Gandak — is the site where an elephant was released from the clutches of a crocodile after the pachyderm prayed to Vishnu.

Lalu’s devotion has, however, prompted sarcastic comments from chief minister Nitish Kumar, who recently said: “If tantra could help people get powers, big tantriks would be prime ministers and smaller ones would be chief ministers.” Lalu’s rebuttal was that no one should comment on one’s personal beliefs.