Hyderabadi Challa Srinivas Sastry, 64, is walking 8,000 kilometers to Ayodhya with gold-plated shoes for Lord Ram, which are valued at Rs 65 lakh. The inauguration of the Ram Temple on January 22 corresponds with his journey. Retracing the Ayodhya-Rameswaram route in reverse to represent Lord Ram’s “Vanavas” (exile) is what Sastry is doing. Before this, he gave the Ram Temple five silver bricks.
On July 20, the devout pilgrim set out on his journey in reverse order, stopping along the way at Shiva Lingas established by Lord Ram. Sastry hopes to arrive in Ayodhya within the next ten days after visiting important places like Puri in Odisha, Trimbak in Maharashtra, and Dwaraka in Gujarat. With a gold-plated ‘padukalu’ (footwear) fashioned from ‘panch dhatu’ (five metals) for Ram Lall’s idol atop his head, Sastry intends to present it to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath when they arrive in Ayodhya.
Inspired by Dr. Ramavatar’s studies, a retired Income Tax Department official who painstakingly charted Lord Ram’s route of exile, Sastry revealed his underlying drive. Sastry said , “My father participated in ‘kar seva’ in Ayodhya. He was a strong devotee of Lord Hanuman. His desire was to see the Ram temple built in Ayodhya. As he is no more, I decided to fulfill his desire,” as reported by PTI.
The devout pilgrim picked up where he left off in Tamil Nadu after having to temporarily halt his march to visit the UK. Right now, Sastry and five other people are continuing their spiritual journey in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh, which is about 272 km away from Ayodhya. Sastry, who founded the Ayodhya Bhagyanagar Sitarama Foundation, intends to build a home in the holy city and make Ayodhya his permanent home.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate a magnificent Ram Temple at the location of Lord Ram’s birth on January 22.
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