Devotee set out on a padayatra with a golden paduka
Hyderabad: If faith is unwavering then courage comes automatically. To fulfill this wish, a devotee of Lord Ram has set out on a padayatra. This padyatra is special because this devotee will reach Ayodhya after covering a distance of 8 thousand km, carrying the golden pads made for Lord Ram on his head. Preparations are going on for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony on 22 January in Ayodhya.
The journey started on 20th July
This devotee from Hyderabad traveled thousands of kilometers from Hyderabad to Ayodhya to gift the gold-plated Padukas at the age of 64, with unwavering devotion for Lord Ram and a desire to fulfill the dream of his ‘Karsevak’ father. Have started the trek. The name of this devotee is Challa Srinivas Shastri. They are traveling through the Ayodhya-Rameshwaram route, which was taken by Lord Ram during his ‘exile’. He said he wanted to travel in reverse order, visiting all the Shivalingas installed by the Lord on the way and started his journey on July 20.
Charan Paduka will hand over to CM Yogi
Challa Srinivas Shastri has already visited many places like Puri in Odisha, Trimbak in Maharashtra and Dwarka in Gujarat. He said he would cover a distance of about 8,000 km on foot carrying Charan Paduka on his head, which he would hand over to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on reaching Ayodhya. Shastri said he was following a map “prepared” by retired Income Tax Department officer Dr Ramavatar, who has researched for 15 years on the route that Lord Ram followed during his exile.
Hope to reach Ayodhya in next two weeks
Challa Srinivas Shastri said, “My father had participated in Kar Seva in Ayodhya. He was a great devotee of Lord Hanuman. His wish was to see the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Now he is no more, so I decided to fulfill his wish. Shastri said that as part of his contribution to the Ram temple after the Supreme Court decision in 2019, he has so far donated five silver bricks. He said, “I am currently carrying a gold plated ‘Padukalu’ made of ‘Panch Dhatu’ for Lord Shri Ram.” They are expected to reach their destination in less than two weeks.
Chilla Shastri is 272 km away from Ayodhya
However, Shastri had to stop his padyatra for some time as he had to go to Britain midway and later he resumed his padyatra from the place where he was staying in Tamil Nadu. Shastri said that along with five others, he is currently in Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh and is about 272 kilometers from Ayodhya. They are expected to reach their destination in about 10 days. Shastri, who covers a distance of 30 to 50 km daily, said the luggage he is carrying is worth around Rs 65 lakh, which has also been donated by some other persons. (input language)
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