President offers prayers at Tirumala

President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday offered prayers at the renowned temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala during his first visit to Andhra Pradesh after assuming the highest office.

The President, who arrived at the crack of the dawn, was accorded a grand reception by temple priests with traditional rituals that included chanting of Vedic hymns. Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy accompanied Mukherjee to the sanctum sanctorum.

Earlier, Mukherjee, following the temple tradition, offered prayers at the Swami Pushkarini and later in the Sri Bhuvarahaswamy temple before heading to the main shrine. Inside the sanctum sanctorum, A V Ramana Dikshitulu, one of the chief priests, explained to the President the significance of Lord Venkateswara. After spending a few minutes in front of the presiding deity, Mukherjee reached Ranganayakula Mandapam where he was accorded Vedasirvachanam by temple priests.

The President then visited the S V Vedapathasala at Dharmagiri, 15 km from Tirumala and other religious places.