Puri: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday morning performed the sacred ‘pinda daan’ ritual at the holy Sweta Ganga tank in Puri before offering prayers at the Shree Jagannath Temple.
The President reached Sweta Ganga around 7 am on the third day of her Odisha visit. After spending the night at Lok Bhavan in Puri, she performed the ancestral rites seeking the salvation of departed souls. Following the ritual, Murmu proceeded to the Singhadwar of the 12th-century Jagannath temple at about 7.40 am, where she was received by Puri’s titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee were present during the visit. In view of the President’s presence, the temple was closed to the general public for a brief period.
Accompanied by her family members, Murmu entered the temple through the Dhukudi Dwara, the southern gate, and offered prayers inside the garbha griha, where she had darshan of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra.
SJTA Chief Administrator Padhee said this marked Murmu’s fourth visit to the shrine after assuming office as President. During the visit, she offered deepa at the sanctum and prayed at the shrines of Maa Bimala and Maa Laxmi within the temple complex. A patitapaban bana was also hoisted atop the temple by the administration, seeking fulfilment of the President’s prayers, he added.
After completing her darshan, the President briefly interacted with people gathered near the temple premises. Tight security arrangements were in place across the temple complex and throughout Puri town for the duration of her visit.
As a mark of reverence, the temple administration presented Murmu with a khandua cloth and a traditional patachitra painting. Later in the day, the President is scheduled to travel to her native place, Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district.
