Pigeon returns home covering 700 km in 4 days

A pigeon covered around 700 km to return to its owner in Karnataka after it was left in Sabarimala temple in Kerala. It returned home in four days.

Chitradurga: A pigeon returned to its owner in Karnataka's Megalahatti village in four days covering around 700 km after it was left at Sabarimala by its owner after having darshan of the Ayappa Swami in Kerala's Sabarimala temple. Venkatesh of Megalahatti village in Chitradurga district went to Sabarimala to have darshan and took his pet pigeon along in a box. After letting the pigeon out, the owner returned to his home. He has been keeping pigeons for several years.

Venkatesh released the pigeon at Sabarimala. "It is common for pigeons to fly away. It is also common for them to become preys of hawks and eagles. But this pigeon reached its home after four days of being released and only trained pigeons can find their way back," Venkatesh, a bird breeder said.

After four consecutive days, the pigeon returned to its owner. A pigeon can fly at high altitudes reaching 6000 feet or above. It can fly up to 77.6 mph at average speed but flying at 92.5 mph has been observed and in a single day, pigeons could travel about 600 to 700 miles.

The Sabarimala Temple is a temple located at Sabarimala hill in the Perinad Village, Pathanamthitta district in Kerala. It is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world with an estimate of over 10 to 15 million devotees visiting every year. Devotees from different parts of the country including Karnataka, Andhra, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra visit Sabarimala and seek the blessings of Swami Ayyappa.

The temple is situated on a hilltop above sea level named Sabarimala. The dense forest, part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, is near the temple known as Poongavanam. Temples exist in each of the hills surrounding Sabarimala. Millions of devotees still follow the mountainous forest path to reach the hilltop for darshan.