Youth on a mission for his blind mother

Puri, May 17 (UNI) The heart rending scene of a son carrying his blind mother on shoulders along the Badadanda (grand road) in this holy city with a mission to visit all religious places including the four "dhamas" reminds the puranical story of Shravan Kumar who did it for his old blind parents.

Kailash Giri (35), a youth of Jabalpur began his journey to fulfil the desire of his octogenarian mother to have darshan of all the ''tirthas'' of the country.

Being poor and no resources to travel other than two legs Kailash began the journey carrying his mother, Kirti Devi, on his shoulders.

Talking to media after visiting Lord Jagannath temple, Kailash said he undertook the task some eleven years ago and till date visited almost all the shrines of South India. " I am delighted that I could make this pilgrimage, one of the four Dhamas of the Hindu faiths." said Kailash, who arrived at this Gundicha temple on Wednesday evening.

After a night halt, he moved to offer prayers to the Lord Jagannath. The mother-son duo was accorded a warm reception by the priests and the Pandas of the temple.

Later Kailash took his mother to Mahodadhi tirth, a stretch of Puri sea from Swargdwar to Chakratirth, for holy dip.

They visited the Swargdwar, (crematorium considered as the gateway to heaven) and decided to spend a couple of days before leaving for Dwarika and Badrinath.

Both Kailash and his mother said they had no plans to return to their native place at the moment saying that they have little property to eke out their living for long.

UNI