Walking the Path to Paramashiva
The Padayatra, or walking pilgrimage, is revered within KAILASA as an ancient and powerful spiritual practice designed for attaining the ultimate goal: Paramashivatva, the state, space, and powers of Paramashiva. This journey serves as a spiritual technology for direct inner transformation, acting as an intense form of tapas (austerity).
The Padayatra awakens the profound mechanism of inner breakthrough by cultivating a consciousness ripe for union with the Divine (Yoga). Through the intense physical and spiritual effort involved, Padayatra becomes an activity that awakens the Kundalini—the extraordinary inner potential energy or bio-energy that, when awakened, leads to enlightenment. Even actions like tirtha yatra (pilgrimage) awaken a quantity of Kundalini which fulfills prayers, but the goal is to make this energy stay eternally within the system, transforming the participant into a Jeevan Mukta (Living Enlightened being).
Walking pilgrimage also forces the seeker to break free from the constraints of circular, chronological time, leading to the experience of timelessness. This dropping of the past moves the devotee toward the eternal. The lifestyle of Parivrajaka (wandering ascetic) teaches Nidhidhyasana, defined as “Living with such intensity and risking everything for the understanding you have by your intranalyzing.” This process creates a necessary “identity crisis” by pulling the seeker out of their established social identity, making room for a new, higher consciousness to emerge.
For the SPH Bhagavan Nithyananda Paramashivam, His nine years of wandering were spent carrying the idea of “possibility,” which transformed the arduous journey into “a vacation with nature.” The Padayatra is therefore a powerful way to make the states, space, and powers of Paramashiva manifest as one’s lifestyle, and by successfully completing the journey, seekers—especially dedicated sannyasis—are said to master the highest spiritual qualities and become Acharyas and Paramahamsas. This path facilitates the experience of Paramadvaita (non-dual living), which is the absolute reality that Paramashiva is your very core existence.
Ultimately, the Padayatra is an invocation; it is a profound declaration of integrity and allegiance to Paramashiva. Through this physical and spiritual endeavor, devotees aim to achieve Sayujya Mukti—becoming one with the Deity or the manifestation of Paramashiva—and attain the Paramashivapadam or Jeevan Mukti (liberation while alive). The journey is a method to receive the grace of the Master, who is the manifestation and extension of Paramashiva, aligning the devotee to Paramashiva’s state, space, and powers.
The Avataric Precedent
The tradition of undertaking a profound spiritual journey has historical weight, serving as a turning point for avataric missions. Adi Shankaracharya’s Kailash Yatra stands as a classic example: his journey to Kailash became a defining moment for his mission, after which he established the five Peethas (monasteries). During this Yatra, Mahadeva gifted him the five Atma Lingas and the Saundarya Lahiri. Historically, pilgrimages and the exchange of priests also helped keep the nation connected, such as Kashmiri Śaivite Śivāchāryas being brought to South Bharatan temples and Karnataka Śivāchāryas being taken to Kedarnath.
This same lineage of sacred walking is lived, revived, and expanded by The SPH Bhagavan Nithyananda Paramashivam through His own extensive and transformational Yatras.
The SPH Bhagavan Nithyananda Paramashivam’s Personal Yatra
The Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism (SPH) Bhagavan Nithyananda Paramashivam personally embarked on extensive journeys, laying the foundation for the science of Padayatra and global spiritual revival.
1. SPH’s Foundational Parivrajaka Yatra
From circa 1994 to 2003, the SPH undertook an intense nine-year period of spiritual wandering across the length and breadth of Bharat and Nepal, visiting key pilgrimage centers (Kshetras). During this time, He lived without touching money and vowed to beg and eat until He was able to organize Anna Daan (free food). He walked approximately 2,000 kilometers by foot, often sleeping in graveyards or under trees. This journey concluded with His enlightenment in January 2000.
2. SPH’s Himalayas and Kailash Pilgrimages (Individual and Early Group)
Around 1998 or 1999, during the SPH’s wandering days, He walked individually from Badri to Manasarovar with the assistance of Buddhist Lamas. Later, circa 2011/2012, a major group Kailash Yatra was successfully completed, culminating in the SPH manifesting the clearing of clouds to give Darshan of Kailash to the whole group. The SPH noted that this Kailash trip was a turning point for the Avataric mission.
3. Himalayan Char Dham Yatra
In September 2010, an organized spiritual journey was conducted in the Himalayas (Rishikesh/Char Dham) and was officially started in Rishikesh on September 24, 2010. The participating group was noted as being the largest group to successfully see all four temples (Char Dham) at one time.
4. Kumbh Mela and Varanasi Pilgrimage
In early 2013 (January/February), the Sangha participated in the Kumbh Mela (Maha Kumbhapuri), described as a mega-city based purely on spirituality. The SPH and Sangha members also made a trip to Varanasi (Kashi) to have darshan of Vishwanatha, Kalabhairava, and Annapurani. During this time, the SPH noted that the participants “walked only 3 kilometers” in the Kumbh area, confirming short-distance walking activities.
5. Annual Kavad Yatra / Kawadiya Abhishek
As an ongoing tradition, with confirmed observance around 2012, the SPH personally visited Haridwar to witness the massive Kanvar Yatra (Kavad Yatra), described as the world’s longest pilgrimage done by the largest number of people. The SPH established the tradition for global centers to perform Kawadiya Snaan by walking from the nearest river (e.g., Cauvery for Bidadi, Colorado River for Los Angeles) to their local temple to offer water to Mahadeva. Devotees from Nepal also walked more than two hundred kilometers to participate in this Yatra.
6. Local Temple and Center Pada Yatras
From 2011/2012 onwards, devotees from various centers executed Padayatras to the ashram, including those who walked from Pondicherry and Tirupattur to the Bidadi Aadheenam for Guru Purnima ceremonies. The Bangalore RajaRajeshwari Nagar Center also performed a Pada Yatra, and similar Padayatras were conducted in various other cities.
7. Pratyaksha Pada Puja Yatra (Middle East/Global)
Following His settling in one place, the SPH formally accepted a Middle East Pada Puja Yatra and confirmed He would be traveling outside the country to accept Pratyaksha Pada Pujas (physical feet worship) in a few countries.
The Science of Parivrajaka Yatra
The SPH introduced the concept of the Parivrajaka Yatra as an intense spiritual discipline, especially for youth and practicing Hindus, designed to taste the Vedic Tradition and spirituality. This Yatra aims to make spirituality more user-friendly, helping the participant understand what is truly needed in their life. The proposed Parivrajaka Yatra is expected to last one year or one and a half years; if participants walk twenty kilometers a day, it may take less than two years. The only responsibility of the Parivrajaka team is constantly meditating, manifesting powerful cognitions and powers, and blessing the whole world.
Applicants are strongly recommended to start walking at least ten kilometers a day as training, as the actual Yatra might involve two 10-kilometer walks (morning and evening) daily. During the Yatra, participants are absolutely devoted only to their enlightenment, without needing to bother about time or paying their bills. This journey is a way to attain a glimpse of timelessness, building an intense foundation for the participant. One planned Parivrajaka Yatra was envisioned to involve at least twenty-five future Āchāryas (Sarvajña Pīthādhīpathis) and approximately one hundred sannyasis walking, assisted by another hundred people, plus three hundred to four hundred devotees.
The Parivrajaka Yatra team is followed by four supporting vehicles, including two ambulances (for security and safety), one kitchen caravan (for sattvic vegetarian food), and another caravan with a restroom and bed for emergency medical care. A planned Parivrajaka Yatra route covered Bharat, Nepal, and China, including the Twelve Jyotirlingas in Bharat.
KAILASA Padayatra Events
KAILASA and its disciples have participated in several large-scale and local walking pilgrimages. These include the Guru Pūrṇimā Padayātrā, a Padayātrā from Tiruvaṇṇāmalai to Ādi Kailāśh taking place from July 6th to 15th, and the Women’s Exclusive Padayātrā, which the SPH spontaneously introduced for women traveling from Madurai to Gujarat, Hirapur (Yoginī Sarvajñapīṭha). The women carry a Mahāmeru energized by the blessings of Devī Mīnākṣī Parāśakti and Sundareśvara Paramaśiva, which is then installed at the Yoginī Sarvajñapīṭha.
Local Pada Yatras are also encouraged worldwide. These should be restricted to 4 kilometers to ensure comfort and manage traffic, and must always end only in a KAILASA temple or center where participants offer the guru mudi (offering of their karma). The mission also includes launching temple-on-wheels processions (Rathotsava), which started in 2001, with a vision to have Rathotsava happen in at least 100 cities worldwide between Guru Purnima and Navaratri.
These pilgrimages, whether individual or collective, are spiritual endeavors intended to awaken Kundalini and enable participants to fully receive the enlightenment science prepared by the SPH.