Murmu offers puja at Baidyanath Dham temple

DUMKA: President Droupadi Murmu began her three-day Jharkhand visit by offering prayers at the Baidyanath Dham temple in Deoghar on Wednesday.
Murmu arrived at the Deoghar airport by an Indian Air Force plane at 8.55 am. She was welcomed by governor CP Radhakrishnan, agriculture minister Badal Patralekh, Godda MP Nishikant Dubey and senior officers of the state government and the Deoghar administration.
She drove down to the temple complex, around 8km from the airport in her convoy and was welcomed by the temple's chief priest. State water resources minister Mithilesh Kumar Thakur also greeted her at the temple complex.
Murmu remained in the garva griha (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple for 45 minutes. During this time, senior priests of the temple performed elaborate rituals. The President was accompanied by her daughter and granddaughter.
"The President offered her prayers to the deity and also performed jalabhishek ( a ritual) amid the chant of shlokas," priests at the temple said after Murmu left. She returned to the airport an hour later and flew out to Ranchi.
Murmu who served as Jharkhand governor for six years until 2022, visited the temple twice during her tenure. She also became the fourth incumbent President to offer prayers at the temple while in office after Rajendra Prasad, Pranab Mukherjee and Ram Nath Kovind. Mukherjee visited the temple twice during his presidency.