AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa  has trodden the path which few politicians take: she offered prayers to Lord Vayulingeshwara in Srikalahasti and performed Rudrabhishekam on Monday.

“Visiting the Srikalahasti temple is believed to be unlucky for politicians. However, she has not only offered prayers but has also performed abhishekam for 25 minutes,” a temple insider said.

It’s common knowledge that leaders like N Chandrababu Naidu always make it a point to visit Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala but shy away from making a trip to nearby Srikalahasti.

“Politicians believe their political careers would be doomed if Lord Shiva opens his third eye,” a temple priest averred. While Naidu has never visited the temple, and late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy visited Srikalahasti but avoided offering prayers.

Accompanied by her close aide Sasikala, party MLA Vijay Kumar and a few local party leaders, Jaya spent an hour and 15 minutes at the temple.

Jaya arrived in a special chopper at a private engineering college at 9.45 am. Sources said she even took part in ‘Shani dosha nivarana puja’ at the temple. But throughout her whirlwind visit, the AIADMK supremo looked extremely exhausted and weak as Sasikala kept helping her move around.

“We were informed that she was not doing well. We carried some medical kits in case of an emergency. Even her aides carried a chair around so that she could sit and relax during the rituals,” a temple staffer said.