Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu Monday offered prayers at the Shree Nilamadhav Temple in Odisha’s Nayagarh district.
She was accompanied by Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
The temple is located at Kantilo on the banks of Mahanadi.
The President offered ‘aarti’. She was happy to pray at the famous Lord Vishnu temple, the priest said, adding that this marks the first-ever visit of a sitting President to the shrine in independent India.
The temple is situated near two hills and is surrounded by dense forests. In ancient times, Shree Nilamadhav was worshipped by the Sabar tribe. Today, a shrine dedicated to Shree Nilamadhav is also located to the right of the Maha Lakshmi temple within the Puri temple complex.
According to Bhaskar Mishra, a researcher in Shree Jagannath culture, it is believed that Lord Vishnu was originally worshipped as Shree Nilamadhav before the idol of Lord Jagannath was created and installed at the Puri temple.
Earlier in the day, the President was welcomed at Biju Patnaik International Airport by the Governor and Chief Minister.
Later, she went to Kaliapalli, the village of Sabar Raja Biswabasu, where she joined the community and unveiled his statue.
The President is also scheduled to attend the Bharatiya Biswabasu Sabar Samaj Foundation ceremony at Kaliapalli in Nayagarh.
According to her schedule, she will return to Bhubaneswar airport and spend the night at Raj Bhavan.
President Murmu will leave for Delhi at 920 AM Tuesday, officials said.
PTI