"I prayed for peace and prosperity of the country here (at the shrine)," Shinde, who is on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, told reporters outside the holy place on the banks of Dal Lake.
Shinde said his long cherished desire to visit the shrine has finally been fulfilled.
"I have been coming to Kashmir since 1980 but never able to visit the shrine. Maybe it was destined to visit the shrine as the Home Minister of the country," he added.
Shinde, who took stock of the Dal Lake conservation project, also interacted with people assembled outside the shrine and gave patient hearing to their problems, especially of the youth.
He later visited the nearby mausoleum of National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.
