Madurai, March 14 -- Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Saturday visited Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, which is located at Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

Highlighting the cultural significance of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple as a source of pride not just for Tamil Nadu, but for the entire nation, he announced that the NDA government, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, has officially granted international airport status to the city's airport.

"I offered prayers at the temple to seek the blessings of the deity and it has a wonderful temple with a lot of history and grandeur. It is actually a pride not only for Tamil Nadu, this temple is a pride for the whole country itself...The reason for coming to Madur...