President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday paid obeisance at the Baba Baidyanath temple in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district.
She performed special prayers at the temple, which is one of the 12 'jyotirlingas'. A team of priests assisted the president in performing the prayers amid tight security in the temple complex.
Deogarh Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said that in view of the president's visit to the temple, the entry of devotees was barred from 6 am to 10.30 am on Wednesday.
Baidyanath Temple officials said Murmu performed a special puja in the temple amid the chanting of Vedic mantras by the priests. Earlier the president was received by Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan at the Deoghar airport. The president is on a three-day visit to the state.
During the visit, she will inaugurate the new complex of Jharkhand High Court, attend the second convocation of the IIIT in Ranchi and participate in a programme in Khunti. This is her second visit to the state after assuming the office of the president.
"The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu will visit Jharkhand from May 24 to 26, 2023. On May 24, 2023, the President will inaugurate the new building of the High Court of Jharkhand at Ranchi. On May 25, 2023, the President will grace a Women Conference organized by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs at Khunti," a statement from the President's Secretariat said.
"She will also grace the 2nd convocation of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Ranchi at Namkum, Ranchi. On the same evening, she will attend a civic reception to be hosted in her honour by the Government of Jharkhand at Raj Bhavan, Ranchi," it added.
From Deoghar, Murmu will arrive in Ranchi in the afternoon. From the Ranchi airport, she will head to Birsa Chowk to garland the statue of Birsa Munda and then travel to Albert Ekka Chowk where she will pay tribute to Lance Naik Albert Ekka, and then go to the Raj Bhavan.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a tweet said: "We accord a grand welcome and johar (greetings) to President Droupadi Murmu on the pious land of Dharti Aba Bhagwan Birsa Munda."
The president is scheduled to inaugurate the new building of the Jharkhand High Court in Dhurwa at 5 pm. The High Court campus built on an area of 165 acres of land is considered one of the largest in the country in terms of area.
The High Court building has been built at a cost of Rs 550 crore. Murmu will visit Khunti district on May 25.
"On May 25, the president will address a convention of women associated with the Self Help Group (SHG). In the evening, she will attend the convocation ceremony of IIIT-Ranchi," an official said. Hoardings and banners have been put up in the state capital to welcome her.
Murmu was the governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021. Security arrangements have been beefed up in Deoghar, Ranchi and Khunti in view of her visit, officials said.
Ranchi City SP Subhanshu Jain said 3,000 police constables and 900 officers have been deployed in the city.
