HYDERABAD: 64-year-old Charla Sreenivasa Shastri, a native of Hyderabad, has embarked on a padayatra carrying gold-plated footwear to be given at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya as an offering. He will hand over the gold-plated footwear to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ahead of the inauguration ceremony on January 22.

Charla Sreenivasa Shastri began his journey on October 28 with sandals made of silver from Vedurupaka village in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. During the journey, he felt that the footwear should be plated with gold. Following this, he sent it to a goldsmith in Hyderabad. The gold-plated footwears weigh 12.5 kg each. Shastri will reach Ayodhya by January 13. He says that the UP Chief Minister assured him that the footwear will be kept inside the temple.