Bhubaneswar: Nepal's last king Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev on Sunday performed a puja before the Trinity at the Jagannath temple in Puri and offered gold jewellery to the deities.

He also presented three shalgram shila (a fossilised shell revered as a symbol of the Lord Vishnu), gold coins, Rs 50,000 in cash, and three wrapped bags to the temple. The contents of the wrapped bags are not known.

As per the tradition, the kings of Nepal enjoy exclusive rights and special privileges of performing arati of Lord Jagannath atop the throne. He spent 30 minutes at the temple.

After performing the puja, Dev said: "I had a sacred darshan of the deities. I prayed for the peace for the world. I also prayed for a stronger tie between India and Nepal."

Former Puri king Dibya Singha Deb said: "Tradition and culture are the base of every thing. We should preserve it for the future generations." For Dev's visit, the temple remained closed for devotees from 9am till 12.30pm.

However, some servitors on Sunday expressed their displeasure as Dev had come to the temple without wearing the traditional attire - the dhoti. Dev wore a "churidar kurta". Chief of Chattisa Nijog (confederation of 36 group of servitors' association) Janardana Pattajoshi Mohapatra said: " It would have been better had the Nepal King come to the temple wearing traditional attire to perform the puja."