Apple CEO Tim Cook Kicks Off India Trip With Visit to Siddhivinayak Temple

Accompanied by Apple India head Sanjay Kaul, Cook's visit to the temple was a prelude to a host of meetings lined up with top business and Bollywood personalities later in the day.

At the temple, Cook ran into Anant Ambani, the scion of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, and chatted with him for some time.

Among the engagements lined up for the Apple CEO are meetings with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry and Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan.

Cook's visit to India comes at a time when the US technology giant is hit by slower growth in global sales of its flagship products - iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday announced that the tech giant would establish a Design and Development Accelerator facility in Bengaluru, the home of India's startup scene.

"India is home to one of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial iOS development communities in the world," said Cook, who is on an India visit.

"With the opening of this new facility in Bengaluru, we're giving developers access to tools which will help them create innovative apps for customers around the world," he said in a statement.

Though his official programme is kept under a lid, during his India trip, Cook is likely to visit the IT capitals of Bengaluru and Hyderabad and later New Delhi.