Pratibha Patil has been sworn in as India's first female president.
She took the oath of office on Wednesday in a ceremony at the Indian parliament that was followed by a 21-gun salute that could be heard across central New Delhi.
She arrived escorted by a company of soldiers clad in white-uniforms and riding horses.
"A developing country of over a billion people should live together and move forward together," Patil said in her speech.
Patil was elected by federal and state legislators last week and succeeds Abdul Kalam, the popular former president.
Although the office is largely ceremonial, the president has a role in the forming of governments at the state and federal levels. The prime minister wields executive power in India.
The Congress party-led government has billed Patil's appointment as a historic day for India's women, but critics said it was a hollow gesture after a campaign marred by mud-slinging and partisan politics.