President Pranab Mukherjee arrived here on Tuesday for a quiet sojourn during which he will pay obeisance at the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath and take part in a Ganga aarti at Har Ki Pairi in Haridwar.
The President began his visit to the hill State with the inauguration of the renovated 'Rasthrapati Ashiana', the President's retreat in the city, refurbished with laying of new lawns, planting of hedges and ornamental plants comprising flowering trees and herbs.
Accompanied by Governor KK Paul and a host of senior officials, Mukherjee planted a Rudrakasha sapling in the Ashiana premises and then was shown around its renovated building built originally as bungalow of the Commandant of the President's Bodyguard and being revived at Mukherjee's initiative after long years of disuse.