On a pilgrimage:Ayyappa Swamy devotees leaving for the ‘mahapadayatra’ to Sabarimala temple from Karimnagar on Thursday.

Karimnagar, October 18, 2013:  Around 25 Ayyappa Swamy devotees embarked upon an ambitious task of trekking 1,400 km from Karimnagar town to Sabarimala temple in Kerala on Thursday.

Under the guidance of Guruswamy Gadapa Nagaraju, who is trekking to Sabarimala for the 13th time this year, the Ayyappa Swamy devotees launched ‘maha padayatra’ from Ayyappa Swamy temple in Bhagathnagar of Karimnagar on Thursday after performing special pujas and other rituals.

The devotees would walk everyday 30 to 35 k.m. during the morning and evening hours. They would take rest at the temples along the route and the local Ayyappa devotees would arrange them food (biksha) at the temples. The maha padayatra would reach Hyderabad on October 22. The padayatra would reach Sabarimala temple on November 29.

The devotees would traverse through odd weather conditions in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala to reach the Sabarimala temple. Nagaraju said that the devotees participating in the maha padayatra would be given special darshan of Ayyappa Swamy at the temple shrine.

Source: The Hindu, October 18, 2013