A senior police officer explained that the stadium was chosen as the landing site at the last minute. Consequently, the helipad was constructed late on Tuesday. The original plan was for the helicopter to land at Nilackal near Pamba, but inclement weather led to the change in location
President Droupadi Murmu offers prayers at Sabarimala Temple. Pic/X
The wheels of President Droupadi Murmu's helicopter were stuck in a depression on a newly concreted helipad at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Pramadam, Kerala, on Wednesday morning, news agency PTI reported. The incident occurred when the President’s helicopter landed for her Sabarimala visit.
#WATCH | Kerala: A portion of the helipad tarmac sank in after a chopper carrying President Droupdi Murmu landed at Pramadam Stadium. Police and fire department personnel deployed at the spot physically pushed the helicopter out of the sunken spot. pic.twitter.com/QDmf28PqIb
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2025
Once the President left for Pamba by road, TV visuals showed police and fire force personnel working to push the helicopter's wheels out of the depressions that formed as a result of the landing.
A senior police officer from the district explained that the stadium was chosen as the landing site at the last minute. Consequently, the helipad was constructed late on Tuesday, PTI reported. The original plan was for the helicopter to land at Nilackal near Pamba, but inclement weather led to the change in location.
"The concrete had not fully set, and it couldn’t bear the weight of the helicopter, which caused the depressions when the wheels touched down," the officer said.
President Murmu first woman head of state to visit Sabarimala
President Murmu, who arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday evening for her four-day official visit to Kerala, left for Pathanamthitta district, where the Sabarimala Temple is located, on Wednesday morning. She continued her journey to Pamba, the foothills of Sabarimala, by road, PTI reported.
#WATCH | President Droupadi Murmu offers prayers at Sabarimala Temple in Kerala
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2025
(Source: PRD, Kerala) pic.twitter.com/HnX0ITjYFA
Later, she offered prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala on Wednesday, becoming the first woman head of state to visit the revered shrine. She is also only the second president to visit Sabarimala, following former President VV Giri's visit in the 1970s.
Murmu arrived in Pamba around 11 am in a special convoy. Upon reaching the Pampa river, she washed her feet before offering prayers at nearby temples, including the Lord Ganapathy shrine. There, the temple’s head priest, Vishnu Namboothiri, assisted her in preparing her sacred bundle or ‘irumudikkettu’ at the Kettunira Mandapam.
Accompanied by her two officials and son-in-law Ganesh Chandra Hombram, the President, dressed in a black saree, received her sacred bundle and participated in the traditional rituals. The group then threw coconuts at a stone wall near the temple and proceeded to board special vehicles to ascend the 4.5-km Swami Ayyappan Road to the Sannidhanam, the main temple precinct.
At the Sannidhanam, President Murmu climbed the 18 holy steps to reach the shrine. She was greeted by state Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) chief PS Prasanth, and temple Tantri Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru.
At the shrine, the President took the ‘darshan’ of Lord Ayyappa, with the sacred bundle on her head. Following the darshan, she and her team placed their irumudikkettu on the steps of the shrine, and the head priest took them for pooja.
After completing her visit to Sabarimala, the President also visited adjacent temples, including Malikappuram, before returning to the TDB guesthouse for lunch and rest. During the President's visit, there were restrictions on devotees performing 'darshan,' as per TDB officials.
Murmu had arrived at Pamba by road from the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Pramadam at 8.40 am, where she was greeted by local leaders, including Vasavan and Pathanamthitta lawmaker Anto Antony.
Later in the day, the President will return to Thiruvananthapuram, and on Thursday, unveil a bust of former President KR Narayanan at Raj Bhavan. She will also inaugurate the Mahasamadhi Centenary celebrations of Sree Narayana Guru at Sivagiri Mutt in Varkala and attend the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of St Thomas College in Palai, Kottayam.
President Murmu will conclude her Kerala visit on Friday by attending the centenary celebrations of St Teresa's College in Ernakulam.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)
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