President Droupadi Murmu has shared personal reflections on her long-standing devotion to Lord Jagannath of Puri, recalling that prayers and hymns dedicated to the deity have stayed with her since childhood.
She wrote that during her school and college years she enjoyed singing devotional songs about “Mahaprabhu Jagannath”. In her village school, a prayer hymn by devotee Salabeg, “Ahe Neela Shaila”, was regularly sung, and teachers spoke often about the deity.
Describing Puri as home to a grand temple complex, Murmu noted that Lord Jagannath is worshipped there along with Subhadra and Balabhadra. Though Puri was far from her native village in Mayurbhanj district, she later moved to Bhubaneswar for higher studies, which gave her opportunities to visit Puri, Bhubaneswar and Konark, and she still remembers her first darshan.
Murmu highlighted the scale of the Rath Yatra, saying its grandeur is unmatched. She added that when her candidature for the presidency was announced, she remembered the Lord’s name with devotion and prayed for guidance.
She also recalled praying to Lord Jagannath on her way to Parliament’s Central Hall for the oath-taking, and later, during a visit to Puri on November 10, 2022, she walked barefoot along the grand road to the temple’s Lion Gate and offered a full prostration. Calling the deity the protector of the universe, she said she has dedicated herself to serving all sections of society with the Lord’s blessings.
