President Droupadi Murmu on Friday visited Similipal National Park and undertook a safari. Murmu, who stayed at her house in Rairangpur on Thursday night, started the second day of her Mayurbhanj visit by paying tributes to Pandit Raghunath Murmu, the inventor of Ol Chiki script of Santali language, at his birthplace Dandabosh village on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
Droupadi Murmu, the first tribal president of the country, belongs to the Santal tribe. The Odisha government, which had supported Murmu's presidential candidature last year, has announced a Rs 10 crore package for development of the Pandit Raghunath Murmu Memorial.
Droupadi Murmu visited her hometown nearly after 10 months for the first time after becoming the President in July last year. Her visit to Similipal was the first by any President of India.
Similipal National Park authorities said elaborate arrangements have been made for the President’s visit. She is scheduled to visit Chahala in the core area, where she will be served local tribal food and then taken to a guided to see deer, sambhar and elephants.
Spread over 2,750 sq km area, the national park is home to Royal Bengal Tiger and Asian Elephant.The President is scheduled to visit waterfalls at Bareipani and Joranda. Bareipani is the second highest waterfall in India at 399 metres, while Joranda is 150 metre high.
The national park has been made out of bounds for visitors for two days from May 4 in view of the President's visit. After her return from Similipal, she is scheduled to visit Baripada, where she will spend the night and attend the convocation of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University on Saturday before flying back to Delhi.
