In a heartfelt gesture, President Droupadi Murmu walked about two kilometers to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath temple in Puri and offer prayers for the wellbeing of the nation.
The unprecedented move came as the President who arrived in Bhubaneswar earlier in the day, stopped her carcade at Balagandi Chhak and walked down to the temple like a common devotee. As she walked, the president kept both her hands raised invoking Lord Jagannath, and also waved to the other devotees who had lined up on both sides of the road to greet her as she walked by.
As per reports, during her visit to the temple, the president 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 down before the sibling deities Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balaram in the sanctum sanctorum in obeisance.
On reaching the Lion’s Gate, the president was welcomed by Gajapati Maharaja Dibya Singh Deb of Puri, the priests, and government officers. A Patachitra painting was also presented to the president.
“You are the first servitor of Lord Jagannath and are the living God,” Murmu told Gajapati Maharaj when he appeared uncomfortable for being told ‘Namaste’ by the president.
On the way to the temple, the president also interacted with students of Utkal Hindi Vidyalaya waiting on the side of the Grand Roa.
Murmu knelt down at the Lion’s Gate as a mark of respect to the deity and entered the shrine after properly washing her feet like common devotees. She touched all the 22 steps leading to the temple with her hands as a sign of her devotion to the deities, her family priest Raj Ratan Mahapatra said.
“We accompanied President Murmu to the sanctum sanctorum where she offered a diya (lamp) to the Lord and prayed for about 15 minutes,” the priest.
Murmu, who was accompanied by her daughter Itishree, offered a ‘Tulsi’ garland to Lord Jagannath, another made of lotus at the Mahalaxmi temple and another of hibiscus flowers at the Maa Bimala temple, Mahapatra said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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