President Droupadi Murmu made history on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, by becoming the first woman President of India to offer prayers at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple in Kerala. She is only the second sitting Indian President to visit the shrine; the first was V.V. Giri in the 1970s.
The President’s visit was part of her four-day official tour of Kerala, which began on October 21. Arriving at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium Ground in Pramadom around 8:40 a.m., she was received by Kerala Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan, Member of Parliament Anto Antony, and other local officials.
From there, she traveled to Pampa in a specially arranged motorcade, where elaborate security and traditional arrangements had been made for her visit.
At Pampa, President Murmu began her pilgrimage by washing her feet in the Pampa River, in line with Ayyappa devotees’ purification ritual. She then proceeded to the Pampa Ganapathi Temple, where the Irumudi Kettu, the twin sacred bundle carried by devotees, was prepared and tied for her under the supervision of Melshanthi Vishnu Namboothiri.
Her Additional Private Secretary Saurabh S. Nair, Personal Security Officer Vinay Mathur, and son-in-law Ganesh Chandra Hombrom also participated in the ritual.
The President and her team then traveled in a special convoy of vehicles to Sabarimala Sannidhanam.
The hill temple and its surroundings were placed under unprecedented security cover, with the movement of other pilgrims prevented beyond the Nilakkal base camp during her visit period.
Upon reaching Sabarimala around 11:45 a.m., President Murmu climbed the Pathinettam Padi (18 sacred steps) to reach the sanctum sanctorum.
At the Sannidhanam, she was accorded a ceremonial reception with a purna kumbham by Tantri Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru. She offered prayers to Lord Ayyappa and the upadevatas (sub-deities), before visiting the Malikappuram Devi Temple and the Vavar Swami shrine.
Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) President P.S. Prashanth, Revenue and Devaswom Secretary M.G. Rajamanickam, and Sabarimala Melshanthi S. Arunkumar Namboothiri were among those who received the President at the temple.
Following the darshan, President Murmu was presented with a wooden carving of Ayyappa, a traditional memento, on behalf of the Travancore Devaswom Board by Minister V.N. Vasavan. Board members A. Ajikumar and P.D. Santhosh Kumar were present.
After lunch, the President rested briefly at the Devaswom Guest House before beginning her return journey.
Around 12:15 p.m., she left the Sannidhanam for Pampa. At 4:15 p.m., she departed for Thiruvananthapuram from the Pramadom helipad, where she was seen off by Minister Vasavan and MP Anto Antony, among others.
The President’s visit to Sabarimala is a significant moment in both religious and political history, considering the longstanding traditions and debates surrounding women’s entry into the temple. Her visit underscores a symbolic step forward in the evolving social landscape of the country.
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