In a historic moment, President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday became the first woman president to visit and offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, Kerala.
#WATCH | President Droupadi Murmu offers prayers at Sabarimala Temple in Kerala
(Source: PRD, Kerala) pic.twitter.com/HnX0ITjYFA
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2025
The temple, perched atop the hills of the Western Ghats, is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, revered by devotees as a deity of celibacy. President Murmu’s pilgrimage makes her only the second president of India ever to visit the site, the first being V.V. Giri in the 1970s.
Arriving at the Pamba base camp around 11 a.m., President Murmu followed the customs of traditional pilgrims. She washed her feet in the Pampa River, offered prayers at the Ganapathy temple, and participated in the sacred ‘Kettunira’ ceremony.
Dressed in a black saree, the customary colour of Ayyappa devotees, the President performed the rituals with deep reverence. She was accompanied by her son-in-law, Ganesh Chandra Hombram, and members of her personal staff, who also undertook the preparations for their pilgrimage.
President Murmu’s visit comes years after the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling that struck down the traditional ban preventing women between 10 and 50 years of age from entering the temple, a ban rooted in the belief that it violated the deity’s celibate vow.
