Puri: President Droupadi Murmu Wednesday walked about one kilometre on the Grand Road and then offered prayers in the 12th century Lord Jagannath Temple here.
As the president walked on the road like a common devotee, hundreds of people lined up on both sides of the road and greeted her.
The temple was closed to public for some time to facilitate the first citizen to have a smooth darshan of the sibling deities- Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath, in the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine.
The President was accompanied by her daughter Itishree Murmu, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy CM Pravati Parida, Puri MP Sambit Patra and others.
“I sought blessings of the Lord and prayed for the people of India and wished their wellbeing,” Murmu said after offering puja at the temple. She spent about 30 minutes inside the temple.
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Upon her arrival at the temple, she was greeted by the Shree Jaganbath Temple Administration.
She knelt before the sibling deities in the sanctum sanctorum in obeisance and offered aarti to the Lords, said Rajratan Mohapatra, the servitor who guided the President’s darshan. The President also offered puja to Maa Bimala and Maha Laxmi inside the temple premises.
A flag was tied in her name atop the temple seeking blessings for the country, said the servitor.
Adequate security arrangement was made for the President’s visit to the pilgrim town, police said, adding that Murmu later left to attend another programme in the town.