Sabarimala (Kerala), Oct. 22 -- President Droupadi Murmu today offered prayers at the Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala, becoming the first sitting President of India to visit the hill shrine in over five decades, the last being President V.V. Giri in 1973.
Adhering to the temple's customs and traditions, President Murmu began her sacred pilgrimage from Pamba where she performed the customary ritual bath in a specially arranged enclosure near the holy river. She then symbolically filled her Irumudi Kettu - the sacred bundle carried by Ayyappa devotees - before proceeding to the temple.
Dressed in traditional black attire, the President offered prayers at the Pamba Ganapathy temple before beginning her ascent to Sabarimala. She was accompa...