President Droupadi Murmu on Friday offered prayers at the Sri Venkateswara Temple atop Tirumala hill near Tirupati.
Murmu left the Padmavati Guest House in the morning and, following tradition, first visited the Sri Bhu Varahaswamy Temple. From there, she proceeded to the Tirumala temple, where she was received by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Chairman B.R. Naidu, Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal, and other officials.
A group of priests accorded her the traditional ‘Istikpal’ welcome as per temple protocol. After offering prayers at the ‘Dwajasthambam’, the President had darshan of the deity. She was accompanied by Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy.
Later, at the Ranganayakula Mandapam, the priests blessed the President with ‘Vedasirvachanam’. The TTD Chairman and Executive Officer presented her with Srivari photographs, Tirtha Prasadam, and the TTD 2026 calendar and diaries.
TTD Board Members Panabaka Lakshmi, Janaki Devi, Bhanu Prakash Reddy, and others were also present during the visit.
The President arrived in Tirupati on Thursday and offered prayers at the Sri Padmavati Ammavari Temple in Tiruchanoor. She reached Tirumala later in the evening, where she was welcomed by Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Vangalapudi Anita and TTD officials.
After completing her visit to the Tirumala temple on Friday, the President left for Hyderabad, where she will inaugurate the Bharatiya Kala Mahotsav 2025 at Rashtrapati Nilayam in Secunderabad. The second edition of the festival will showcase the cultural, culinary, and artistic heritage of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu.
Following an overnight stay at Raj Bhavan, the President will travel to Puttaparthi in Sri Sathya Sai district on Saturday. She will attend a special session commemorating the centenary celebrations of Sri Sathya Sai Baba at Prasanthi Nilayam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the centenary celebrations on Wednesday and paid his respects to Sathya Sai Baba.
–IANS