It was a memorable spiritual sojourn for the tens of thousands of inhabitants of rural areas, mostly Dalitwadas and tribal hamlets, as they went ecstatic by chanting ‘Govinda Govinda’ for over a hundred times.
With the aim of integrating the communities left behind into mainstream Hinduism, Swami Kamalananda Bharati, a champion of temple movement and Hindu inclusivity, launched ‘Sampoorna Grama Devalaya Sandarsana Ratha Yatra’ near Dakkili on August 9 and has covered over 1,000 hamlets in Chittoor and Nellore districts. He spearheaded the ‘excluded sections’ on a divine trek to Tirumala on Sunday.
Ahead of the trek over the seven hills, the devout, who were clad in yellow robes and carrying saffron flags, had an eyeful glimpse of Lord Venkateswara’s celestial wedding (Srivari Kalyanotsavam) and earful of mellifluous rendition of Annamayya kritis arranged by the TTD.
Reviving the ancient practice of offering ‘mudupulu’, Swamy Kamalananda Bharati gave ₹1 tied in a yellow cloth to every trekker, with an advice to deposit it (adding more amount if they can afford) into the Tirumala Hundi. The TTD and the Endowments Department chipped in with resources at their disposal to support what has been termed a ‘mass Bhakti movement’ taken up by the Swamy.
The trekkers will cover local shrines at Tirumala and have darshan on Monday.
