This Stray Dog Has Been Accompanying Sabarimala Pilgrims For 480 Km & Now They're Taking It All The Way To The Temple
A stray dog has been following a group of 13 Ayyappa devotees who are on a pilgrimage to Keralas Sabarimala. Thedog has trekked more than 480 km along with thedevotees all the way from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh to Kottihegara area of the Chikkamagaluru district in Karnataka.
Everyone knows that dog is man¡¯s best friend. However, one stray dog took its loyalty to the next level by following a group of Ayyappa Maladharis (devotees), who are on their annual barefoot pilgrimage to Sabarimala temple, Kerala.
ANI
The dog has trekked more than 480 km along with the devotees, all the way from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh to Kottihegara area of the Chikkamagaluru district in Karnataka.
"We didn¡¯t notice the dog at first. But as we continued, it kept showing up behind us every now & then. We offer it the food we prepare for ourselves. We perform Sabarimala pilgrimage every year but it's a new experience."
The devotees have now decided to take it with them, all the way up to Sabarimala. They said that the dog sustained injuries to its paws a couple of times and was treated by local veterinarians.
#WATCH Karnataka: A stray dog has been following a group of 13 Ayyappa devotees, who are on a pilgrimage to Kerala's Sabarimala & has walked 480 km so far. The devotees started from Andhra Pradesh's Tirumala on Oct 31 & have reached Chikkamagaluru dist's Kottigehara now. (17.11) pic.twitter.com/9ke8uFwRCt
¡ª ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2019
The devotees had started from Andhra Pradesh's Tirumala on October 31 and they reached the Kottigehara area of the Chikkamagaluru district on Sunday, November 17.
"We offer it the food we prepare for ourselves. The dog has a leather collar around its neck and is very shy," the devotees said, as reported by TOI.
Reportedly, the devotees' group is led by Rajesh Guruswamy, a resident of Todar in Madabidri, Dakshina Kannada district.
Sabarimala shrine in Kerala opened on Saturday, November 16, for the 41-day annual pilgrimage season. Kerala police have made elaborate security arrangements and planned to deploy over 10,000 officers in and around Sabarimala for the Mandala Pooja festival, reports PTI.
PTI
The Travancore Devaswom board, which manages temples in the state, has made elaborate arrangements to provide all possible amenities to devotees.
Just like the dog above who accompanied the pilgrims on their spiritual journey, another pooch followed a devotee back in 2017. A 38-year-old devotee took 17 days to reach the Sabarimala shrine and the little pooch was with with every step of the way.
Dogs take their job as best friend very seriously and when it comes to loyalty there's nothing that can compare to the one they manifest,
