Udupi: Ayyappa’s Canine Devotee – Miracle or Coincidence? 
Pics: Inchara Digitals
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD/SB) 
 
Udupi, Dec 20: The innumerable devotees of Swami Ayappa from all over the country are flocking to his abode at Sabarimale in Kerala chanting, Swami Sharanam Ayyappa engaging buses, tempos and such private transport to travel to the destination. These apart, there are few other devotees who walk a long journey as an extreme penance to appease their revered Swami Ayyappa. 

Chandrahas Shetty, a native of Innanje near Shankarapura here and residing in the western suburb of Mumbai began his holy pilgrimage to Sabarimale on November 23 traversing the distance walking along with other 23 devotees from Andheri, Mumbai, who were at Shankarapura here on Friday December 18. Uniqueness of his pilgrimage is that a black coloured dog has been accompanying the group on his journey. The dog joined the group at Khandala Ghat and since then has shunned non-vegetarian food as if following all the rituals of a true Ayyappa devotee. However, one needs to wait and watch as to dog will reach destination Sabarimale.

The dog following pilgrims to Swami Ayyappa on their pilgrimage to Sabarimale has created much interest among the people en-route their journey. The locals of Katpady offered the entourage a grand welcome when they arrived at their locality.  The devotion of a dog to Swami Ayyappa seems to be a miracle in the modern era.

Miracle or Coincidence?

Speaking to Daijiworld correspondent, Chandrahas said that it is nothing short of a miracle. Further it is a strange coincident that in a similar fashion another dog had followed Chandrahas in his earlier entourage to Sabarimale about seven years ago. The dog is now at his ancestral house in Innanje. This dog was allowed only till the precinct of hill shrine. The dog’s devotion was also tested by keeping the meat in front of it, which it refused to eat,” he recalls.

Chandrahas has been a staunch devotee of Swami Ayyappa and has undertaken Sabarimale pilgrimage thrice so far. This is the fourth pilgrimage that he has embarked on. Chandrahas and other devotees in his group walk daily about 35 to 40 kilometres in order to cover 1,700 kilometres to Sabarimale from Mumbai in about 40 days.

Rousing Welcome in Kerala 

Chandrahas and his group are cared by the locals, once the group cross Karnataka boundary to Kerala. The fellow devotees wait for Chandrahas led group of pilgrims on either side of national highway and offer prayers and prostrate before them.