By Jayabhadra devi dasi (Padayatra coordinator)
The Tamil Nadu Padayatra was inaugurated on January 17, 2023, at Tirunelveli, a major city in the state of Tamil Nadu about 75km northeast of Kanyakumari, India’s southernmost point. The padayatra is led by Bhakti Vikas Maharaja disciple Sevananda dasa, who served in the All India Padayatra for five years where he was trained by AIP leader Acarya dasa.
Following the inauguration padayatra headed south before backtracking northwards to Madurai, the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu, and then on to Srirangam, a river island in the city of Tiruchirappalli. Considered as the first among the 108 Divya Desams (a group of Vishnu temples), Srirangam is renowned for its Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, the largest temple complex in India and home to a significant population of Vaishnavas.
The seven padayatris are currently making their way towards Salem in central Tamil Nadu. They walk about 8km every day engaged in sankirtan and book and prasadam distribution. During padayatra’s first year they have walked 1200km doing house programmes and nagar sankirtan covering 300 villages, mostly staying at ISKCON temples and Nama-hatta centres, the devotees there supporting them with accommodation and prasadam. There are now Nama-hatta centres in every taluka (local unit of administrative division) through which padayatra has passed.
Book score for this year: Small books 887, Medium books 118, Big books 435, Maha Big books 639. Total: 2079 books and five Srimad-Bhagavatam sets.
They celebrated birthday in a simple way in a villages. They decorated the chariot and new dress was offered to Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundar. 56 bhogas were prepared for Their Lordships. All the villagers joined the festival and Sankirtana was at its height. They all prayed to Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundar to bless them so that they continue with this preaching journey and reach more and more people.
Lokanath Maharaja the pioneer of padayatra also blessed them on the auspicious day in morning japa talk zoom meeting. They were blessed to have darsana of Maharaja, who is a big inspiration for all the padayatris.
Tamil Nadu Padayatra ki jai
Srila Prabhupada ki jai.
