Stray dog tags along with Sabarimala pilgrims, treks 480 km and counting

While on their pilgrimage to Sabarimala, a group of devotees noticed that a dog followed them and trekked 480 kilometres. Initially, the dog remained unnoticed by the devotees until they realised that the animal had been showing up behind the group now and then.

Chikkamagaluru: Devotion and dedication have no limits- whether it's in humans or animals. A stray dog did the impossible and is now the talk of the town when it walked along with a group of 13 Ayyappa devotees, who are on a pilgrimage to Sabarimala Temple in Kerala.

The canine has been following the group and has trekked a whooping 480 kilometres so far. The barefoot devotees started from Andhra Pradesh's Tirumala on October 31 and reached Kottigehara in Chikkamagaluru district on Sunday.

The dog tagged along with the devotees, led by Rajesh Guruswamy, a resident of Todar in Moodabidri of Dakshina Kannada district.

Initially, the dog remained unnoticed by the devotees until they realised that the animal had been showing up behind the group now and then.

"We did not notice the dog initially. But as we continued, it kept showing up behind us every now and then. We offered it the food we prepare for ourselves. We perform Sabarimala pilgrimage every year, but this is a new experience," said the devotees.

They also said that the animal got its paws injured a couple of times and was treated by local veterinarians, adding that the group will now take its furry friend to Sabarimala in their spiritual journey.

The Sabarimala Temple was opened on November 16 for the 41-day long annual Mandala-Makaravilakku Puja festival.