The forthcoming inauguration of the Shri Rama temple in Ayodhya is all over the news.

There are many people involved with the making of the temple and its idols, sculptures,  doors and other accessories; the architects, designers, engineers, sculptors, workers…they are all also in the spotlight now, and with people doing their bit and doing for the inauguration of Ram Temple.

Now, an ardent Rama devotee, Challa Srinivasa Sastry based in Hyderabad, too is making news as he makes his way to Ayodhya, walking  over thousands of kilometres, bearing on his head, the padukas or footwear of Rama for the new temple, well before its inauguration.

Sastry’s dream is to have this spiritually charged footwear or padukas also to be placed in the sanctum-sanctorum after it is opened.

Commencing his journey from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu around July 2023, as of today, he has traversed 7,600 km approximately on foot, with padukas atop his head. This padayatra has also entailed trudging up and down thousands of steps leading to hilltop temples.

Talking to MoneyControl from Chitrakoot, a significant site in the Ramayana story–he said another 270 km were remaining before he reached Ayodhya. The culmination of this padayatra is  going to be his meeting with the Uttar Pradesh CM  Yogi Adityanath and handing over the padukas to him.  Sastry says: “I had met the chief minister Yogi  jee before commencing my padayatra and told him of  my padayatra plan and that I would complete it and then hand over the padukas to him. He was pleased to hear that. He assured me that these padukas will be placed inside Ayodhya’s Shri Ram temple.”

The route being followed by Sastry is the one that Rama himself took after he was exiled from Ayodhya and moved southwards – only Sastry is doing the route in reverse and will reach Ayodhya at the culmination.

When temple construction began, it occurred to Sastry to offer somethingo he decided to gift  silver padukas or footwear as his contribution. He also decided to make a padayatra with them.

To read about his journey https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/ayodhya-ram-temple-this-64-year-old-devotee-walks-from-hyderabad-to-ayodhya-with-ram-lallas-padukas-on-his-head-12048161.html/amp