President Droupadi Murmu visits spiritual guru Mata Amritanandamayi

Kollam (Ker): President of India Droupadi Murmu visited spiritual guru Mata Amritanandamayi at her ashram in Amritapuri in this southern Kerala district on Friday morning.

In a statement, the Ashram said the President was greeted with traditional Indian hospitality, as Sannyasins of the Ashram welcomed her by applying tilak on her forehead, garlanding her, and presenting her with a shawl. During her visit, President Murmu had a half an hour meeting with Amritanandamayi, popularly known as Amma among her admirers. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan accompanied the President on the visit.

Later, the President visited the Bhavatarini Temple of the Ashram and also held an informal meeting with six members of Mexico's Parliament who were visiting the spiritual guru as part of the Civil 20 (C20) and Group of 20 (G20) initiatives, it said.

Amritanandamayi is Chair of C20, an official engagement group of India’s G20 Presidency that represents civil society and non-governmental organisations.

Dr Maneesha V Ramesh, Provost of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, gave a brief walkthrough on the humanitarian initiatives of the Ashram, highlighting its impact across the world.

Kollam District Collector Afsana Parween, Thiruvananthapuram Range DIG R Nishanthini, and Kollam City Police Commissioner Merin Joseph also accompanied the President during her visit, it added.