Ram Nath Kovind Thursday offered prayers along with his wife at the Sangam, becoming the first president after Rajendra Prasad to visit a Kumbh Mela.
The president also inaugurated the three-day ''Gandhian Resurgence Summit'' at the Parmarth Niketan camp, where he said he was lucky to make the trip.
"This is the first visit by a president to the Kumbh since the visit of then president Rajendra Prasad in 1953," Rashtrapati Bhavan's Twitter account posted later.
President Kovind inaugurates Gandhian Resurgence Summit at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh; says the Kumbh is an important part of India’s spiritual and cultural heritage. Praises the people of the city and govt of Uttar Pradesh for organising this logistically massive exercise. pic.twitter.com/gD3AisUHro
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 17, 2019
The Kumbh is an important part of India's spiritual and cultural heritage, it quoted Mr Kovind as saying.
Mr Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind reached the Bamrauli airport on a special plane of the Indian Air Force around 9:30 am. They were welcomed by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and several cabinet ministers, officials said.
Mr Kovind said it was a happy coincidence that along with the Kumbh, the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi also falls this year.
The president and his wife participated in ''Ganga pujan'' in the Sangam area along with the governor, chief minister, his deputy Keshva Prasad Maurya and Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh among others.
The president was at the Sangam area for about half-an-hour.
Sangam refers to the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
President Kovind along with his family members went last year too during the ''Magh Mela''.
