President Droupadi Murmu worships at Lord Balaji shrine

TIRUPATI (AP): President Droupadi Murmu offered prayers at the ancient shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala near here on Monday.

Earlier, the President clad in ivory white traditional attire paid obeisance at the shrine of Lord Lakshmi Varahaswamy situated on the banks of tank close to the Sri Venkateswara temple, a temple official told PTI.

Upon arrival at the main temple, priests, amid chanting of Vedic hymns, accorded a traditional welcome to Murmu, the 15th President of India.

Top officials of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) with priests conducted the President to the inner sanctum of the two millennia-old shrine. She stood there for 10 minutes and offered prayers to Lord Venkateswara.

Later, the President was honoured with a silk cloth and temple prasad and a portrait of Lord Venkateswara by TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy and Additional Executive Officer A Venkata Dharma Reddy, the temple official said.

It was Murmu's first visit to the temple and Andhra Pradesh after becoming the President. She arrived at the Renigunta airport on Sunday night. Apart from offering prayers at the Lord Balaji temple, she would also take part in an interaction programme at Sri Padmavathi Mahila Varsity here.