New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu, the Supreme Commander of India's armed forces, embarked on an underwater sea sortie Sunday aboard a Kalvari-class submarine at the strategic Karwar naval base in Karnataka.

Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, Chief of Naval Staff, accompanied the President during the mission on the INS Vaghsheer. The naval engagement represents a rare hands-on demonstration of India's maritime combat capabilities for a head of state.

The voyage marks only the second time an Indian President has undertaken a submarine sortie, following the late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who performed a similar mission in 2006.

The event took place at Karwar Harbour, a critical facility for the Western Naval Command and home to "Project Seabird," the largest naval infrastructure development in the Eastern Hemisphere. Prior to the undersea journey, the President reportedly inspected the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

Murmu's naval engagement is the centre of a four-day multi-state tour that began in Goa on Saturday. Following the mission in Karwar, she is scheduled to travel to Jharkhand to attend the centenary celebrations of the Ol Chiki script and the 15th convocation of NIT Jamshedpur on Monday, before concluding her tour in Gumla on Tuesday.

With inputs from PTI