President Murmu in Tamil Nadu: Day 1 sees a visit to Meenakshi temple and the Isha Yoga Centre

On arrival at the Madurai airport, Murmu was received by Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi — clad in the traditional Tamil attire of a dhoti and shirt — and state IT Minister T Mano Thangaraj.

Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri R.N. Ravi received President Droupadi Murmu on her arrival in Madurai. pic.twitter.com/IILcNzLGre

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) February 18, 2023

Temple time

“President Droupadi Murmu started her visit to Tamil Nadu with the darshan of Meenakshi Amman in Madurai. She prayed before the Mother Goddess for the well-being of all,” a tweet from the official account of the President of India said.

On the President’s official Twitter account, the Rashtrapati Bhavan also shared a picture of a young girl greeting Murmu.

President Droupadi Murmu started her visit to Tamil Nadu with the darshan of Meenakshi Amman in Madurai. She prayed before the Mother Goddess for the well-being of all. pic.twitter.com/YHqBBhc913

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) February 18, 2023

After a brief halt at the circuit house, the president headed to her next stop — the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore to attend the Maha Shivaratri celebrations.

Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department principal secretary B Chandra Mohan, HR & CE Commissioner KV Muralidharan, temple thakkar Karumuttu T Kannan, Madurai Collector S Aneesh Sekhar, Inspector General of Police (South Zone) Asra Garg, and Commissioner of Police KV Muralidharan were among those who accompanied the President during her visit to the temple.

At the Isha Yoga Centre

At the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore, addressing devotees, who had gathered in large numbers as part of the Maha Shivratri celebrations near the 112-foot-tall Adiyogi statue, President Murmu said that Maha Shivaratri marks the end of darkness and ignorance, and opens the path of enlightenment.

LIVE: President Droupadi Murmu’s address at the Mahashivaratri celebrations organised by the Isha Foundation at Coimbatore https://t.co/fX597PczWa

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) February 18, 2023

For those in search of higher ideals of life, today is an especially significant occasion, she said. “May the spiritual light of Shivaratri brighten our paths every single day in our lives,” the president said.

“Lord Shiva is a deity for all. He is a householder and also a sanyasi. He is the first yogi and also the first gnani. Lord Shiva is a benevolent deity. He is also the ultimate fearsome deity. He is the symbol of both kinds of energies, creative and destructive,” she said.

We refer to Lord Shiva as father, as ‘Shiv Baba’. Yet, he also appears in the form of ardh-narishwar, half male and half female. It points to the masculine and feminine sides of every human being and is an expression of the ideal of balancing the two. pic.twitter.com/5jVnkRhmDv

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) February 18, 2023

All praise for Sadhguru

Lauding the contributions of Isha Foundation founder “Sadhguru” Jaggi Vasudev, President Murmu said that he being the rishi of modern times, countless people have found in him the inspiration to make spiritual progress.

She pointed out that he has been teaching us about our social responsibility too through his words as well as actions.

We also happen to be in the presence of a renowned rishi of modern times, Sadhguru-ji who has done more than most to propagate the teachings of our past masters in all corners of the world. pic.twitter.com/S5EcLXKFRm

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) February 18, 2023

The plan ahead

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, State IT Minister Mano Thangaraj were among those present.

On 19 February, President Murmu will visit the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington and address the members of 78th Staff Course, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.