Indus Valley Times

By Ratikanta Mohanty

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 11: President Droupadi Murmu along with her daughter Itishree Murmu on Saturday visited the 11th century Lord Lingaraj temple in Odisha capital Bhubaneswar and offered her prayers. She took a round of the temple and other periphery structures barefooted and later wrote a message on the visitors’ book.

“I felt the bliss of divinity here in the serene atmosphere of Lord Lingaraj temple. I prayed to God for the wellbeing and prosperity of my nation and the world,” she wrote in Odisha in the visitors’ book. While entering the temple, the President saw a little girl waiting outside with a red rose to offer her. She went to her and received the flower. The President’s sweet gesture was applauded by many bystanders gathered there to get a glimpse of her.

Not only that, Murmu talked to some other girls standing there and asked them about their well-being and what classes they were in, before entering the Lingaraj temple for darshan.

On Friday also, Murmu had stopped on the way while going to Rama Devi University, her alma mater, to receive a portrait of hers sketched by a little girl.

Following her darshan at the Lingaraj temple, President Murmu visited the National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) at Cuttack and addressed the second Rice Congress.

“Rice is not just a food grain but an intrinsic part of India’s heritage and culture. This grain, with its myriad varieties, finds prominent mention in several ancient literatures, including the Vedas. Many rituals in the country are incomplete without rice which signifies its place in Indian tradition,” she said, while applauding the role of NRRI in developing new varieties of paddy keeping in view the requirements of farmers and climate change challenges.

Her two-day visit to Odisha concluded on Saturday after the event at NRRI.

On Friday, she had attended the convocation ceremony at her alma mater Rama Devi University in Bhubaneswar where she got emotional while addressing the students.