President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday morning performed the sacred ‘pinda daan’ ritual at the holy ‘Sweta Ganga’ tank in Puri before offering prayers at the 12th-century Jagannath temple.

The President reached Sweta Ganga at around 7 am on the third day of her Odisha visit, after spending the night at Lok Bhavan in Puri. She performed the ancestral rites for the peace and salvation of departed souls.

Following the ritual, Murmu arrived at the ‘Singhadwar’ of the Jagannath temple at about 7.40 am, where she was welcomed by Puri’s titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee were also present.

In view of the President’s visit, the temple remained closed to the general public, with tight security arrangements in place across the shrine and the town.

Accompanied by her family, President Murmu entered the temple through the ‘Dhukudi Dwara’ (southern gate) and proceeded to the ‘Garbha Griha’ to have ‘darshan’ of the sibling deities — Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra.



Padhee said this marked Murmu’s fourth visit to the revered shrine since assuming office as President. “She offered prayers in the sanctum sanctorum, lit a ‘deepa’, and visited the shrines of Maa Bimala and Maa Laxmi within the temple complex. A ‘patitapaban bana’ flag was also hoisted atop the temple, seeking fulfilment of the President’s wishes,” he said.

After completing the rituals, the President briefly interacted with devotees gathered outside the temple.

As a gesture of reverence, the temple administration presented Murmu with a ‘khandua’ (sacred cloth) and a traditional ‘patachitra’ painting.

President Murmu is scheduled to visit her native place, Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district, later in the day.