PATHANAMTHITTA: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday performed the traditional Irumudikettu ritual at Pampa before proceeding to the Sabarimala temple for darshan at the sanctum of Lord Ayyappa.
Arriving at Pampa around 11 a.m. in a special motorcade, the President symbolically washed her feet in the Pampa River before offering prayers at the nearby Ganapathi temple. Under the supervision of chief priest Vishnu Namboothiri, the Irumudikettu, the sacred twin bundle carried by Ayyappa devotees, was prepared and tied for the President and her entourage.
Accompanying the President were her Aide-de-Camp Saurabh S. Nair, Personal Security Officer Vinay Mathur, and son-in-law Ganesh Chandra Hombrom. The group then proceeded to Sannidhanam in a special convoy, amid tight security arrangements.
Earlier in the morning, President Murmu arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium Ground in Pramadom by a special helicopter at 8.40 a.m. She was received by Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan, MP Anto Antony, MLAs K.U. Jineesh Kumar and Pramod Narayanan, District Collector S. Prem Krishnan, and District Police Chief R. Anand.
The President’s visit marks a historic occasion, as she became the first woman President of India to offer prayers at the Sabarimala temple.