President Droupadi Murmu visits Belur Math

Kolkata, Mar 28 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday visited the famed Belur Math, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda in the late 19th century.

Murmu, accompanied by West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, arrived at the Math around 8.45 am.

She was received by Swami Suviranandaji Maharaj, general secretary of the mission, and state minister Birbaha Hansda.

Murmu visited the temples of Ramkrishna and Maa Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda’s room and his memorial site in the complex, an official said.

The President went around the Math complex in a battery-operated vehicle.

She left the Math around 9.20 am.

Murmu was gifted a saree and a basket of fruits and sweets by the mission authorities.

The Math was kept closed on Tuesday for all other visitors till 10 am in view of the President’s security.

The trip to the Belur Math was part of Murmu’s two-day visit to West Bengal.

Security arrangements in the city were beefed up for her maiden visit to the state after becoming the President.

On the second day of her visit, the President is scheduled to attend a UCO Bank programme here to celebrate 80 years of completion of the public sector lender.

The President is also scheduled to travel to Santiniketan later in the day to grace the annual convocation of the Visva-Bharati, a central university, founded by Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore.

Murmu arrived in Kolkata on Monday and visited Netaji Bhavan, where the country’s freedom movement icon Subhas Chandra Bose had lived. She also visited Jorasanko Thakurbari, Tagore’s ancestral house, in north Kolkata.

In the evening, she was given a civic reception at Netaji Indoor Stadium where the governor and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were present.