President William Ruto on Tuesday removed his shoes and walked with socks at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial in India during his inaugural state visit to the Asian country.
The President was at the memorial site, popularly known as Raj Ghat, to pay tribute to the revered Indian leader who died in 1948.
According to the rules at the site, no one is allowed to walk in shoes as a sign of respect.
One is either allowed to walk barefoot, in socks or in some instances, wear slippers as was witnessed in the delegation that accompanied the Head of State.
Ruto also laid a wreath at the memorial park and took part in a short prayer that was led by the officials at the site.
The memorial park was established at the place where the Indian leader, who pushed for the independence of the Asian nation from British rule was cremated.
"Visitors are required to remove their shoes before paying homage to the leader. A ceremony is held every Friday to mark the day he died. There are two museums nearby, which are dedicated to Gandhiji.
"The memorial was designed by Vanu G Bhuta, and this national shrine was bestowed with several awards for its architectural design. The memorials of various other leaders such as Lal Bahadur Shashtri, Indira Gandhi, Jawaharalal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi are also located inside Raj Ghat," India's Ministry of Tourism explained on its website.
The park is also dominated by grass lawns and trees and exemplifies the simplicity of Gandhi.
According to the Indian government, some of the trees at the site have been planted by renowned world leaders like Queen Elizabeth II.
Additionally, there is an eternal flame which is erected adjacent to Gandhi's memorial.
The removal of shoes is not new to Ruto's case and was also witnessed during the G20 meeting when India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted notable leaders such as US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
During the September meeting, the leaders either walked with socks or barefoot. Others opted to wear felt slippers as the area had experienced rainfall.
