President Droupadi Murmu walks down 2 km to pay obeisance to Lord Jagannath 

CM Naveen Patnaik will host a civic reception at Raj Bhawan in her honour since she is visiting Odisha as the President of India for the first time

After becoming the President of India, Droupadi Murmu began her maiden visit to Odisha with a two-km-long walk for paying obeisance to three deities at the 12th century Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri on November 10, 2022.

Ms. Murmu reached Puri by a special Indian Air Force helicopter early in the day. She got down from her vehicle at Balagandi on the Grand Road – the place where Bhakta Salabeg’s `samadhi sthal’ (place of cremation) was preserved and started walking along the Grand Road that connected with the temple. Flanked by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and her daughter Itishri Murmu, she also halted to meet school children.

The 17th century religious poet Bhakta Salabeg was a Muslim by birth, but is remembered for his devotion to Lord Jagannath. As per the legend, the chariot of Lord Jagannath could not move until Bhakta Salabeg had the darshan of the deity.

Ms. Murmu was received by Dibyasingh Dev, Puri’s titular king and Governor Ganeshi Lal. She was served traditional religious offerings and chose to have lunch by sitting on the floor. The two-km walk turned out to be a nightmare for security agencies as hundreds of people gathered to have a glimpse of the President of India.

The daughter of the soil was given a ceremonial welcome at the Biju Patnaik Airport, Bhubaneswar in the afternoon. Santhali dancers performed as her cavalcade moved out of the airport. Hundreds of people waited for hours to get a glimpse of Ms. Murmu. The President of India garlanded the statues of eight freedom fighters in Bhubaneswar.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would host a civic reception at Raj Bhawan in honour of Ms. Murmu, as she was visiting Odisha in the capacity of the President of India for the first time.