President Murmu prays at Bhadrakali Shaktipeeth in Kurukshetra on Haryana Day

Kurukshetra. President Droupadi Murmu visited the Maa Bhadrakali Shaktipeeth in Kurukshetra on Sunday and prayed for the happiness, peace and prosperity of every citizen. Her visit fell on the day Haryana marked 60 years since its formation.

The President said the visit gave her a deep sense of peace and spiritual energy. She called the shrine a major centre of India’s Sanatan culture and faith.

Haryana Governor Prof Ashim Kumar Ghosh, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and the shrine’s Peethadhyaksha, Pandit Satpal Sharma, received her with bouquets when she arrived at the temple complex.

Rituals at the ancient Devi Koop

Murmu began at the Devi Koop, an ancient well inside the complex, where she performed traditional rituals. She then went around the shrine on a parikrama before praying to Maa Bhadrakali in the sanctum sanctorum. She joined the aarti as priests chanted sacred mantras.

Trident, idol and chunri

After the prayers, Pandit Satpal Sharma gave the President a trishul, the symbol of Shakti, along with an idol of the Goddess and a chunri. He offered her prasad and told her about the temple’s history and religious importance.

Where Sati’s right knee is believed to have fallen

Sharma told the President the temple is counted among the 51 Shaktipeeths. According to religious tradition, Goddess Sati’s right knee fell at this spot. He said devotees have long believed the Goddess blesses them and grants their wishes.

The Pandavas’ prayer before the Mahabharata war

The priest also recounted the belief that the Pandavas prayed at the shrine for victory before the Mahabharata war. Local tradition holds that they came back after the war and offered horses to the Goddess. Devotees still offer small clay or metal horses when their prayers are answered.

Kurukshetra is revered as the land where Lord Krishna delivered the message of the Bhagavad Gita. The city draws lakhs of pilgrims every year.