President Murmu first woman head of state to offer prayers at Sabrimala— See pics and videos

NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu connected Wednesday offered prayers astatine the Lord Ayyappa temple successful Sabarimala, becoming the archetypal pistillate caput of authorities to bash so. She is besides the 2nd Indian president to sojourn the temple, aft V V Giri. Clad successful a achromatic Saree, Murmu arrived astatine Pamba astir 11 americium successful a peculiar convoy. According to temple's authoritative website, "Black is the recommended colour for apparel during the ‘Vruthum’ play arsenic the colour denotes detachment from worldly things."

Following tradition, she washed her feet successful the Pampa stream and prayed astatine adjacent temples, including the Lord Ganapathy shrine. Vishnu Namboothiri, the main clergyman of the Ganapathy temple, filled her ineffable bundle, oregon irumudikkettu, astatine the Kettunira Mandapam. The president was accompanied by her ADC Saurabh S Nair, PSO Vinay Mathur, and son-in-law Ganesh Hembram, who besides prepared their ineffable bundles. They broke coconuts adjacent the temple and past took four-wheel-drive vehicles to the Sannidhanam on the 4.5-km Swami Ayyappan Road and the accepted trekking route. At Sannidhanam, president Murmu climbed the 18 beatified steps to the sanctum, wherever she was received by State Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P S Prasanth. The temple tantri, Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru, welcomed her with a poorna kumbha.

Murmu offered darshan of Lord Ayyappa with the ineffable bundle connected her caput and placed it connected the temple steps for pooja. She aboriginal prayed astatine adjacent shrines of Vavaraswamy and Malikappuram. Before leaving, TDB officials presented her with an idol of Lord Ayyappa. President Murmu’s sojourn holds comes years aft the Sabarimala temple became the centre of aggravated statement and protests implicit women’s entry. In 2018, the Supreme Court had ruled that women of each ages could participate the shrine, overturning the accepted prohibition connected those betwixt 10 and 50 years of age, arsenic Lord Ayyappa is worshipped arsenic a Naishtika Brahmachari (perennial celibate). The verdict had triggered wide absorption from devotees and sparked a governmental and societal disagreement successful Kerala.

Murmu’s pilgrimage conducted strictly wrong temple customs and age-old rituals is being seen arsenic a infinitesimal of quiescent symbolism. BJP person Bandi Sanjay Kumar praised her sojourn connected X, writing, “She is 67. She broke nary rules, wounded nary faith, she lone honoured it. In doing so, she became the archetypal president ever to transportation the Irumudi and bow earlier Lord Ayyappa. Her sojourn reminds america that devotion doesn’t shout; it simply stands tall. A infinitesimal that reflects the heavy religion uniting millions of Ayyappa devotees crossed India. Those 18 steps person seen statement and defiance, yet devotion ever finds its dignity.”