Padayatra
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A padayatra ( sa, पादयात्रा, pādayātrā, journey by foot, translit-std=ISO) is a journey undertaken by politicians or prominent citizens to interact more closely with different parts of society, educate about issues concerning them, and galvanize his or her supporters. ''Padayatras'' or foot pilgrimages are also
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
religious pilgrimages undertaken towards sacred shrines or pilgrimage sites.


Social causes

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
originated the ''padayatra'' with his famous
Salt March The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a di ...
to Dandi in 1930. In the winter of 1933–34, Gandhi went on a countrywide ''padayatra'' against untouchability. Later, Gandhian
Vinoba Bhave Vinayak Narahari, also known as Vinoba Bhave (; 11 September 1895 – 15 November 1982), was an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights. Often called ''Acharya'' (Sanskrit teacher), he is best known for the Bhoodan Movement. He is con ...
also started a ''padayatra'', which was part of his Bhoodan movement in 1951. Starting from the
Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...
region, Bhave concluded his ''padayatra'' at Bodh Gaya. On 6 January 1983,
Chandra Shekhar Chandra Shekhar ( 17 April 1927 – 9 August 2015) was an Indian politician who served as the 8th Prime Minister of India, between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991. He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with ...
started his ''padayatra'' from
Kanyakumari Kanniyakumari (; , referring to Devi Kanya Kumari), also known as Cape Comorin, is a city in Kanniyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent and the southernmost city in mainland Ind ...
and continued his journey to
Raj Ghat Raj Ghat is a memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi, India. Originally it was the name of a historic ghat of Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad). Close to it, and east of Daryaganj was ''Raj Ghat Gate'' of the walled city, opening at ''Raj Gha ...
in Delhi till 25 June 1983 to understand the problems of the masses. Puthan Veetil Rajagopal, in Janadesh 2007, led 25,000 landless peasants on a 28-day march from Gwalior to Delhi. In 1986,
Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealis ...
winner
Rajendra Singh Rajendra Singh (born 6 August 1959) is an Indian water conservationist and environmentalist from Alwar district, Rajasthan in India. Also known as "waterman of India", he won the Magsaysay Award in 2001 and Stockholm Water Prize in 2015. He ...
started ''padayatras'' through villages of
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
, promoting construction and revival of
johad A johad, also known as a pokhar or a percolation pond, is a community-owned traditional harvested rainwater storage wetland principally used for effectively harnessing water resources in the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, and weste ...
s and check dams.


Political purpose

Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy (8 July 1949 – 2 September 2009), popularly known as YSR, was the 14th chief minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, serving from 2004 to 2009. Reddy was elected to the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12t ...
did a three-month-long ''padayatra'' covering , meeting people across several districts of Andhra Pradesh. He led his party to victory in the following general elections held in 2004 to become the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, which included Telangana also. The YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy launched his Padayatra named ‘
Praja Sankalpa Yatra Praja Sankalpa Yatra was a foot march that was undertaken by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy starting 6 November 2017, for 341 days till 10 January 2019, when he walked over 3,648 km and met around two crore people. This was done in the run up to the ...
’ at RK Valley in his native Kadapa district after paying homage at the grave of his father. YSR Congress party coined a slogan “Raavali Jagan, Kaavali Jagan” (Jagan should come. We want Jagan) for the foot march that took to him across 125 Assembly segments in 13 districts of the state in 430 days. This Yatra was started on November 6, 2017 and ended on January 9, 2019. The
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
, under the leadership of
Rahul Gandhi Rahul Gandhi ( ; born 19 June 1970) is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian Parliament, representing the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala in the 17th Lok Sabha. A member of the Indian National Congress, he served as the president of ...
, started
Bharat Jodo Yatra Bharat Jodo Yatra (lit: ''Unite India March)'' is an ongoing mass movement started by the Indian National Congress. Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, is orchestrating the movement by mobilising the party cadre and general public into ...
, a padyatra on September 7, 2022 in Kanniyakumari at the tip of the Indian peninsula. This foot march will cover about 3,570 km in around five months. It will move across 12 States and two Union Territories, and shall end in Kashmir.


Religious causes

The warkaris from the
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
state of western India practice a regular walk to religious places like
Dehu Dehu is a neighbourhood in the city of Pune, India. It is known for being the abode of Sant Tukaram. The Tukaram Palakhi heading towards the town of Pandharpur originates from Dehu in the month of ''Ashadh.'' Demographics India census, Dehu h ...
,
Alandi Alandi (Marathi pronunciation: ːɭən̪d̪iː is a town and a municipal council in the Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The town is popular as a place of pilgrimage and the resting place of the 8th century Marathi saint ...
and
Pandharpur Pandharpur (Pronunciation: əɳɖʱəɾpuːɾ is a well known pilgrimage town, on the banks of Candrabhagā River, near Solapur city in Solapur District, Maharashtra, India. Its administrative area is one of eleven tehsils in the District, ...
.
Ashadhi Ekadashi Shayani Ekadashi (), also known by various other names, is the eleventh lunar day (Ekadashi) of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu month of Ashadha (June - July). This occasion is holy to Vaishnavas, the followers of the Hindu pre ...
,
Kartiki Ekadashi Prabodhini Ekadashi (), also known as Deva Uttana Ekadashi (), is the 11th lunar day ( ''ekadashi'') in the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu month of Kartika. It marks the end of the four-month period of Chaturmasya, when the god ...
, Maghi Ekadashi and Chaitra Ekadashi are some of the popular days when pilgrims reach Pandharpur to worship
Vithoba Vithoba, also known as Vi(t)thal(a) and Panduranga, is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian state of Maharashtra and Karnataka. He is generally considered as a manifestation of the god Vishnu, or his avatar Krishna. Vithoba is of ...
.


The Tri-Nation Ahimsa Yatra

Acharya
Mahashraman Acharya Mahashraman ( IAST: Ācārya Mahāśramaṇa; born 13 May 1962) is the eleventh Acharya, supreme head of Jain Śvētāmbara Terapanth sect. Mahashraman ji heads all activities functioning under Terapanth organisation, most notably Anu ...
, the 11th Acharya of Terapanth Dharmasangha, started his Tri-Nation Ahimsa Yatra in 2014 to advance the cause of non-violence with the aim of promoting harmony and brotherhood, escalating moral values and movement towards de-addiction. It is an endeavor to awaken a new faith in the infinite power of non-violence. He covered more than on foot, travelling daily on an average, which covered three countries (viz. India, Nepal and Bhutan) and 20 states of India. The Ahimsa Yatra started from the Red Fort, New Delhi, in the year 2014, to Nepal in 2015 covering Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand, Guwahati in 2016 covering West Bengal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Meghalaya, and Nagaland, Kolkata in 2017 covering Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh, Chennai in 2018 covering Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Bengaluru in 2019 and Hyderabad 2020. On 28 January 2021, Acharya Mahashraman crossed the mark and created a new history by marching through his holy steps. In today's era full of material resources, where there are so many modes of transport, there are arrangements, still keeping the Indian Sage tradition alive, the great philosopher Acharya Shree Mahashramanji is making a continuous march for public service. Going by the figures, this Yatra is estimated to be 125 times bigger than Mahatma Gandhi's Dandi March and 1.25 times more than the circumference of the earth. It is also speculated that if a person undertakes such a Padyatra, he can travel more than 15 times from the northern end of India to the southern end or from the eastern end to the western end. Even before the start of the Ahimsa Yatra, Acharya Shree Mahashramanji had traveled about on foot for the purpose of self-welfare. He has visited Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh and traveled to Nepal and Bhutan to inspire people to walk on the path of virtue by training meditation, yoga etc., it also paved the way for the sophistication of their misdeeds. Acharya Shree, who emphasized on change of heart, also trained the public through various seminars, workshops during his visit.With his inspiration, millions of people irrespective of caste, religion and class have accepted the pledge of goodwill, morality and de-addiction in this long non-violence journey.


See also

*
Selma to Montgomery marches The Selma to Montgomery marches were three protest marches, held in 1965, along the 54-mile (87 km) highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. The marches were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the ...
* Suffrage Hikes *
Acharya Mahashraman Acharya Mahashraman ( IAST: Ācārya Mahāśramaṇa; born 13 May 1962) is the eleventh Acharya, supreme head of Jain Śvētāmbara Terapanth sect. Mahashraman ji heads all activities functioning under Terapanth organisation, most notably Anu ...


References

{{Civil rights movement Politics of India Gandhism Social history of India Hindu pilgrimages Walking Political activism