Mr Modi tweeted that it was "shocking and against India's great traditions".

The Hindu temple, with an idol of Mr Modi, was to open in Kotharia village in his home state of Gujarat on Sunday.

Jayesh Patel, head of the group that built the temple, told BBC Hindi it would still open but he would replace the Modi idol with one of Mother India.

"Our belief will remain the same but there will be no Modi idol now," he said.

Honouring politicians, film stars and cricketers with shrines, idols and temples is relatively common in India.

Temples have been built in the memory of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and film star-turned-politician NT Rama Rao.

Last January, a temple with an idol of Sonia Gandhi, the head of India's main opposition Congress party, was opened by a supporter in southern India.

And this is the second temple to Mr Modi - a priest in Kaushambi district in northern India had placed a statue of Mr Modi alongside a statue of Hindu god Shiva to pray for his victory in last year's general election.

Reports say the temple is still in operation.

'Incarnation'

Some 350 Modi supporters collected donations for the construction of a dome-roofed temple, some 210km (130 miles) from Gujarat's main city of Ahmedabad.

Mr Modi served as the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 until becoming prime minister.

The supporters initially put a framed photograph of the prime minister in the temple, but later bought an idol for 170,000 rupees ($2,724; £1,789).

"We believe he is an incarnation of God as after he became chief minister of Gujarat things changed for the better," one supporter, Ramesh Undhad, told AFP news agency.

(BBC News)