President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday walked two kilometers to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath in Puri, Odisha. The official twitter handle of President of India tweeted a video in which the President can be seen walking on the grand road greetin and waving at the devotees. She was accompanied by the Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
“In a rare gesture, President Droupadi Murmu walked about two kilometers to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath at Puri. Devotees greeted the President on her way to the temple,” read the caption of the tweet.
According to PTI, the temple was closed for the common people from 10.30 am to 1 pm in view of Murmu’s visit but hundreds of devotees who had lined up on both sides of the road greeted her as she walked past them.
President Murmu touched the Aruna Stambha, the 16 -sided 34 feet tall monolithic chlorite stone pillar in front of the Lion’s Gate (Singhadwara) of the temple and knelt before the gate. She also knelt before the sibling deities Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balaram in the sanctum sanctorum in obeisance.
ALSO READ | Bengaluru: PM Modi To Inaugurate Terminal-2 Of Kempegowda International Airport Tomorrow
President Droupadi Murmu is in Odisha on a two-day visit. She arrived at the Bhubaneswar airport earlir in the day and was given a rousing welcome. Governor Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik received her at the airport. She was accorded a guard of honour by the state government on her arrival. Soon after, she left for Puri on an Air Force helicopter.
Murmu hails from a tribal community in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha. She will be visiting her school in Bhubaneswar, besides attending other programmes on Friday. On her return to Bhubaneswar, a reception will be hosted in her honour at the Raj Bhavan.
This is Murmu’s first visit to the state after becoming the president in July.
(With Agency Inputs)