Mangaluru: A 53-year-old businessman from Udupi district has been undertaking a nearly 800km padayatra — from Sasthana to Tirupati Tirumala temple — every year for the past 15 years.P Lakshminarayana Rao, owner of Sri Venkateshwara Sweets in Sasthana, was carrying out his annual padayatra with a small team initially, walking an average of 50-60km every day. Rao commences the padayatra on Nagara Panchami every year, with the expedition scheduled to conclude on Sri Krishna Janmashtami. He covers all expenses for his accompanying team during the padayatra. This year, he commenced his 16th padayatra with a team of 200 members on Aug 18.Rao told TOI that a team of five, including a cook and driver, had embarked on the padayatra 15 years ago. “It was because of Lord Venkateshwara’s blessings that I could conduct the padayatra along with devotees every year. We reached Dharmasthala on Thursday, after visiting various temples on the way. After the darshana, the team stays in Dharmasthala, and resume the journey on Friday. It requires 16 days to reach Tirupati temple on foot from Sasthana,” he said.When asked about his generosity in supporting his fellow pilgrims, Rao replied: “I’m merely an instrument — it is the will of Lord Venkateshwara.” During the pilgrimage, devotees proceed while chanting the name of Lord Venkateshwara, singing bhajans, and engaging in various religious programmes.“The devotees are marching enthusiastically with the firm resolve to successfully complete the padayatra and have the darshan of deity at Tirupati,” he said.Throughout the padayatra, locals have been handing out fruits, juice, and water to help the team stay hydrated. Former council member of the Udupi City Municipality, Vijay Kodavoor, said Rao is an ardent devotee of Tirupati temple. “He has been spending money from his own pocket to cover the expenses of all his team members for the past 15 years. Rao is on the 16th year’s padayatra with the same enthusiasm and dedication this year too,” he added.
