President Droupadi Murmu Makes History as First Woman Head of State to Offer Prayers at Sabarimala Temple

President Droupadi Murmu made history on Wednesday by offering prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, becoming the first female head of state to visit this sacred shrine.

The President's visit marks only the second time an Indian President has journeyed to this remote hill temple located in the dense forests of Pathanamthitta district. The late President V V Giri was the first to visit in the 1970s, requiring assistance via a traditional dolly due to the challenging terrain.

President Murmu arrived at Pamba in a special convoy around 11 am. Following tradition, she washed her feet in the Pampa river and offered prayers at nearby temples, including the Lord Ganapathy shrine.

At the Kettunira Mandapam, Vishnu Namboothiri, the melshanthi (chief priest) of the Ganapathy temple, prepared the sacred bundle, or irumudikkettu, for the President, who was dressed in a traditional black saree for the occasion.

The President's entourage, including her ADC Saurabh S Nair, PSO Vinay Mathur, and son-in-law Ganesh Chandra Hombram, also prepared their sacred bundles, according to district officials.

Following ritual protocol, they broke coconuts at a stone wall near the temple and carried their sacred bundles on their heads. They then boarded four-wheel-drive vehicles that transported them along the 4.5 km Swami Ayyappan Road and the traditional path to the shrine.

Upon reaching the sannidhanam, President Murmu ascended the 18 holy steps to the sanctum, where State Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P S Prasanth greeted her. The temple tantri, Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru, welcomed her with a 'poorna kumbha' ceremony.

At the shrine, she performed darshan of Lord Ayyappa with the sacred bundle on her head. Afterward, she and her team placed their irumudikkettu on the steps, which were then taken by the melshanthi for pooja.

Following her main darshan, the President also offered prayers at adjacent temples, including those of Vavaraswamy and Malikappuram. TDB officials presented her with an idol of Lord Ayyappa before she departed.

During the President's visit, the Board temporarily restricted devotee access to the temple.

After lunch and a brief rest at the guesthouse, President Murmu departed Pamba around 2:20 pm, traveling by road to the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium at Pramadam, from where she had arrived by helicopter earlier that morning.

President Murmu had landed at Pramadam at 8:40 am, where Minister Vasavan, Pathanamthitta MP Anto Antony, and other dignitaries received her. Her convoy had left the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram for the airport at 7:25 am.

The President's Kerala visit continues through October 24. On Thursday, she will unveil a bust of former President K R Narayanan at the Raj Bhavan, inaugurate the Mahasamadhi Centenary celebrations of Sree Narayana Guru at Sivagiri Mutt in Varkala, and attend the valedictory function of St Thomas College's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Pala, Kottayam district.

She will conclude her four-day official visit on October 24 by participating in the centenary celebrations of St Teresa's College in Ernakulam.

President Murmu arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday evening and received a warm welcome from Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, public representatives, and senior officials at the international airport.