Man Without A Leg Walks 500km For Pilgrimage, To Fetch Healing Water

A one-legged man in India trekked more than 300 miles to participate in a yearly religious pilgrimage.

Pawan Kumar, who lost his left leg in an accident, walked more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) for this year's Kanwar Yatra, newspaper the Times of India reported.

The annual pilgrimage sees devotees of the Hindu god Shiva traveling to the Ganges River to fetch the so-called holy water known as "Gangajal" that is dispensed as offerings in shrines and temples across India.

Kumar tried to fetch Gangajal in Gomukh, the source of the Bhagirathi River, which in turn is one of the primary headstreams of the Ganges.

Gomukh is located around 295 kilometers (183 miles) away from Kumar's home of Sonipat in the northern Indian state of Haryana, according to measurements taken using Google Maps.

Times of India Senior Correspondent Piyush Rai shared a video of Kumar walking on a street using two sticks as makeshift crutches, one of which had a flag of India attached to its top.

"There are stories of faith transcending all hurdles in life. [The] story of Pawan Kumar, who lost his leg in an accident, is one of them," Rai said.

It was unclear if Kumar was able to fetch Gangajal and dispense the water as an offering.

"All I would like to say is that man should not be defeated by circumstances and whatever I am doing, I am bringing [Kanwar Yatra] for the country," Kumar was quoted by AnyTV News as saying.

In a similar story, a 15-year-old boy with an intellectual disability completed a Spanish pilgrimage two years ago, resulting in him receiving a letter from Pope Francis.

Alvaro Calvente, who has SynGAP1 Syndrome, walked the traditional pilgrimage route of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain with his father and a family friend in July 2020.

The Camino de Santiago, called "the Way of St. James" in English, is a network of trails across Spain, Portugal and France that leads to the alleged tomb of Saint James the Great in the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Galicia.

Calvente's father sent a letter to Pope Francis about the boy's experiences on the journey after they arrived at the end of the route in Santiago de Compostela.

The Pope responded to the letter a week later, thanking Celvante "for having the courage to walk and inviting many to walk with you."

Calvante and his father finished another pilgrimage last month, which they offered to the Pope and Ukraine.