President Droupadi Murmu made history by visiting to the Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala and becoming the first woman president to offer prayers at the sacred hilltop shrine in Kerala. Her visit marks a significant moment of devotion and inclusivity, as she follows in the footsteps of former President VV Giri, who last visited the temple in the 1970s.

Arriving at Pamba around 11 AM, President Murmu began her pilgrimage, washing her feet in the holy Pampa River before offering prayers at nearby temples, including the Lord Ganapathy shrine. Accompanied by her ADC Saurabh S Nair, PSO Vinay Mathur, and son-in-law Ganesh Chandra Hombram, she performed the customary ritual of throwing coconuts at the stone wall near the temple and carried the sacred irumudikkettu bundle on her head.

Travelling through the 4.5 km Swami Ayyappan route in a special four-wheel drive vehicle, the President reached Sannidhanam, where she climbed the revered 18 holy steps leading to the sanctum. She was welcomed with traditional honours by Kerala’s Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan, Travancore Devaswom Board president P. S. Prasanth, and the temple Tantri Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru, who received her with a poorna kumbha ceremony.

Inside the shrine, President Murmu offered darshan and poojai to Lord Ayyappa, praying for the peace, well-being, and prosperity of the nation. Her deep respect for temple traditions, combined with her humility throughout the visit, reflected her genuine reverence for faith and culture.






Her visit also holds symbolic importance in the context of the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that lifted the long-standing restriction on women of menstruating age entering the temple. Though Murmu, at 67, broke no temple customs, her presence as India’s first woman president at Sabarimala embodies a quiet yet powerful moment which took place recently.

BJP leader Bandi Kumar Sanjay expressed the sentiment beautifully when he said, “She broke no rules, hurt no faith, she only honoured it. In doing so, she became the first President to carry the irumudi and bow before Lord Ayyappa.”

Source / Image Credit : News 18 , President of India @rashtrapatibhvn