Pathanamthitta (Kerala) [India], October 17 : PS Prasanth, Travancore Devaswom Board President, on Friday informed that preparations for President Droupadi Murmu's Sabarimala Ayyappa temple visit are progressing smoothly. He added that the Devaswom Board considers the President's visit to the temple a great blessing and an occasion of pride.
"Preparations for the President's Sabarimala visit are progressing smoothly. A trial run of the vehicle that will transport the President is currently underway, and all arrangements are being completed," Prasanth told ANI.
"The Devaswom Board considers the President's visit to Sabarimala a great blessing and an occasion of pride," he added.
President Droupadi Murmu is set to visit the Sabarimala temple on October 22, on the concluding day of the Thulamasa Pooja.
The president is set to visit Kerala for a two-day trip, from October 22 to 24, and attend various programmes in the Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam areas during that time.
According to a release, the President will arrive in Thiruvananthapuram at 2:30 p.m. on October 21 from Delhi. After the official reception ceremonies, she will travel to Raj Bhavan, where she will be staying.
On October 22 at 9.25 a.m., she will travel by helicopter to Nilakkal. She will be reaching Pampa at 11 a.m. and Sabarimala at 11.50 a.m. After the temple visit, she will have lunch at the Sabarimala guest house, and then travel to Thiruvananthapuram by helicopter at 4:20 p.m.
She will unveil a bust of former President KR Narayanan at Raj Bhavan on October 23 at 10.30 a.m. The President will then proceed to Varkala and arrive at Sivagiri by 12:50 p.m. to participate in the Sree Narayana Guru Mahasamadhi event as the chief guest.
Later, she will head to Pala to participate in St. Thomas College's platinum jubilee at 4.15 p.m. After the event, she will fly to Kottayam at 5.10 p.m.
On October 24, she will fly to Kochi, where she will be accorded a reception at the Kochi Naval Airport at 11.35 a.m. The President will be the chief guest at the centenary celebrations of St. Teresa's College, Ernakulam, at 12.10 p.m., followed by lunch at Bolgatty Palace Hotel. She will travel by helicopter from the Naval Airport to Nedumbassery, from where she will depart for Delhi at 4:15 p.m.
The doors of Sabarimala reopened for Thulamasa Pooja on October 17 for the monthly prayers, according to Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the temple. The doors are set to close on October 22 and will reopen again in November for Sree Chithira Attathirunnal.