Sabarimala: President Droupadi Murmu will visit the famed Sabarimala temple in Kerala on October 22, becoming only the second sitting President to do so, Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) president P.S. Prasanth said.
The President is scheduled to arrive in Thiruvananthapuram on October 21, and the following day she will take a helicopter to Nilackal. From there, she will travel by road to the foothills at Pamba, complete the customary rituals at the Ganapathy temple, and then proceed to the main shrine, Prasanth added.
He did not confirm whether the President would climb the hill on foot or travel by jeep, noting that strict protocols will be followed under the supervision of the NSG. “There are very strict protocols, and that’s being taken care of by the NSG, but she will follow all the temple rituals, and that’s also taken care of by the NSG,” he said.
The darshan is expected to conclude by 5 p.m., with the temple remaining open to devotees on both October 21 and 22.
Murmu’s visit was initially planned for May this year but was postponed due to Operation Sindhoor.
Located at an altitude of 3,000 feet in the Western Ghats, the Sabarimala temple requires a four-kilometre uphill trek from Pamba in Pathanamthitta district, about 100 km from Thiruvananthapuram. Women aged 10 to 50 are not permitted to enter the hilltop shrine, which is accessible on foot from the Pamba River.
Murmu’s visit comes amid an ongoing investigation by a Kerala High Court-appointed SIT into the alleged theft of gold plates covering the sanctum sanctorum. One person has already been arrested, and nine others have been named in two FIRs registered by the SIT.