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NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday offered prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, becoming the first woman head of state to do so. She is also the second Indian president to visit the temple, after V V Giri. Clad in a black Saree, Murmu arrived at Pamba around 11 am in a special convoy. According to temple’s official website, “Black is the recommended colour for clothes during the ‘Vruthum’ period as the colour denotes detachment from material things.”
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Following tradition, she washed her feet in the Pampa river and prayed at nearby temples, including the Lord Ganapathy shrine. Vishnu Namboothiri, the chief priest of the Ganapathy temple, filled her sacred bundle, or irumudikkettu, at the Kettunira Mandapam. The president was accompanied by her ADC Saurabh S Nair, PSO Vinay Mathur, and son-in-law Ganesh Hembram, who also prepared their sacred bundles. They broke coconuts near the temple and then took four-wheel-drive vehicles to the Sannidhanam along the 4.5-km Swami Ayyappan Road and the traditional trekking route. At Sannidhanam, president Murmu climbed the 18 holy steps to the sanctum, where 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 sacred bundle on her head and placed it on the temple steps for pooja. She later prayed at nearby shrines of Vavaraswamy and Malikappuram. Before leaving, TDB officials presented her with an idol of Lord Ayyappa. President Murmu’s visit holds comes years after the Sabarimala temple became the centre of intense debate and protests over women’s entry. In 2018, the Supreme Court had ruled that women of all ages could enter the shrine, overturning the traditional ban on those between 10 and 50 years of age, as Lord Ayyappa is worshipped as a Naishtika Brahmachari (perennial celibate). The verdict had triggered widespread opposition from devotees and sparked a political and social divide in Kerala.
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Murmu’s pilgrimage conducted strictly within temple customs and age-old rituals is being seen as a moment of quiet symbolism. BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar praised her visit on X, writing, “She is 67. She broke no rules, hurt no faith, she only honoured it. In doing so, she became the first president ever to carry the Irumudi and bow before Lord Ayyappa. Her visit reminds us that devotion doesn’t shout; it simply stands tall. A moment that reflects the deep faith uniting millions of Ayyappa devotees across India. Those 18 steps have seen debate and defiance, yet devotion always finds its dignity.” Go to Source
