President Droupadi Murmu on Her Way to Sabarimala, First Woman Head of State to Visit Shrine

Pathanamthitta: President Droupadi Murmu will visit the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala on Wednesday as part of her four-day official visit to Kerala. She is the first woman head of state to visit the hill shrine and the second President overall, after V. V. Giri, who visited Sabarimala in the 1970s.
The President, who arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday evening, left Raj Bhavan at 7:25 a.m. today for Pathanamthitta district, where the shrine is located. She traveled by helicopter from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and landed at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Pramadam, Pathanamthitta, at 8:40 a.m. instead of the Nilakkal helipad due to bad weather. From there, she proceeded to Pampa by car, accompanied by officials and security personnel.
At Pramadam, the President was received by Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan, Pathanamthitta MLA K U Janeesh Kumar, MP Anto Antony, and other officials. From Pampa, she will travel to Sannidhanam in a convoy of five four-wheel-drive Gurkha vehicles arranged by the Kerala Police, accompanied by an ambulance. The 4.5-km journey will follow the Swami Ayyappan Road and the traditional trekking path to the hilltop shrine.
At Sannidhanam, the President will be received by Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan, Travancore Devaswom Board President P. S. Prasanth, and other board members. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and his wife will accompany her during the visit. The darshan at the temple is expected to take place between 12:20 p.m. and 1 p.m.
After the visit, the President will rest at the Devaswom Board complex, where the Tourism Department has made arrangements for her meals and accommodation. She will leave Sannidhanam by 3 p.m., reach Pampa by around 3:30 p.m., and depart from the Nilakkal helipad at 4:10 p.m. for Thiruvananthapuram, where she is expected to arrive at 5:05 p.m.
Police conducted a full security rehearsal on Tuesday at Nilakkal, Pampa, and Sannidhanam, including a trial run of the Gurkha convoy. Security has been tightened across the pilgrimage zone, and pilgrims’ entry to Sannidhanam will be restricted until the President’s return. Devotees will be allowed to proceed from Nilakkal only after her departure.
On Thursday, President Murmu will unveil a bust of former President K. R. Narayanan at Raj Bhavan. Later, she will inaugurate the Mahasamadhi Centenary celebrations of Sree Narayana Guru at Sivagiri Mutt in Varkala and attend the valedictory function of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of St. Thomas College in Pala, Kottayam. She will conclude her Kerala visit on Friday by attending the centenary celebrations of St. Teresa’s College in Ernakulam.
At the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, the President was welcomed by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, senior officials, and other public representatives.