Pop star Britney Spears seems to have joined a long list of Western stars seeking solace in ancient Hindu mysticism.
With forehead smeared with vermilion, Spears and her four-month-old son Sean Preston were spotted at a Hindu temple in Malibu, sitting through elaborate rituals.
Raised as a Baptist, Spears has studied Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism and is now said to be visiting Hindu mystics for a study into the past and future.
Spears is said to have been welcomed at the Malibu Temple by its President Nadadur Varadhan who apparently explained to the pop star the tenets of Hinduism as also the significance of the various rituals.
"She showed a lot of interest in the religion and was quite fascinated by the prasadam offered by the temple in the form of Puliogere and Sadam (rice)," Varadhan has said in an email message adding that the pop queen promised to return to the Malibu temple and made a commitment to conduct more elaborate pujas in the near future.