Wade Gounden, seated in front of his friends and family who travelled alongside him. They are Kent Gounden, from left, Duran Nairainsamy, Nate Gounden, Keveshan Chetty and Tyrique Govender at the Siva Sathi Alayam in Unit 3.
Image: Supplied
Wade Gounden transformed his Shivaratri celebration into a unique spiritual journey, running barefoot for 16.9km across Chatsworth to visit seven temples in one night.
This first time Comrades Marathon runner's innovative approach to the sacred night has merged athletic dedication with religious devotion.
During Shivaratri devotees keep vigil, participating in prayers, meditation, and storytelling. Last year, Gounden, from Chatsworth, "temple hopped" overnight on his motorcycle but this year he decided to run instead.
He, and his friends, ran from Unit 5 to 6, 7, 3 and 2 and returned to Unit 6 barefoot, while carrying a bamboo stick on his shoulder.
They started running on Wednesday from 7.15pm to Thursday at 1.15am, completing about 16.9km.
His running companion was Tyrique Govender, while his friends, brothers and cousins drove behind them for safety and for an adventure.
Gounden, 26, said the idea for "temple hopping" came from his running training.
“I came up with the idea while passing numerous temples during my long-run training for the comrades. Having run past the temples made my runs more enjoyable.”
He said he hoped to mirror those in India, who walked barefoot for more than 20km from temple to temple during Shivaratri.
“As an athlete, I feel blessed that God has given me a healthy body free of ailments and this was one way I could give my abilities as an offering to Him.”
They started at the Hare Krishna Temple and then proceeded to the Chinmaya Mission to do the abishek (prayer), followed by the Shri Vishnu temple to see Lord Hanuman.
They continued to the Shree Emperumal Temple where they fed some of the sacred cows and then to the Siva Sathi Alayam, Chatsworth Siva Alayam and the Arena Park Siva Alayam.
The route that Wade Gounden followed for Shivaratri.
Image: Supplied
“These were the temples I visited last year for Shivaratri on my motorcycle, so I decided to repeat the stops. A lot of these temples are close to my heart such as the Hare Krishna, Shree Emperumal, Siva Sathi Alayam and Shri Vishnu, so I had to visit them on this auspicious night.”
They prayed at all the temples without doing the pooja (prayer) due to time.
“We offered our respects to the deities in each temple and did certain offerings at certain temples. We spent on average around 30 to 45 minutes at each temple.”
He said they all felt good energy, while also carrying water on a bamboo stick throughout the journey to offer at the final temple.
“I feel spiritually-charged after this pilgrimage. It also instilled some mental fortitude and discipline in me. It was also an awesome experience with my friends and a fun night out around town.
“While our feet did feel a bit numb from running barefoot, we felt good. Once I got home and showered, I started to feel a bit tired. It was hard to feel tired while having so much fun. I would 100% do this again and I strongly recommend others try it at least once,” said Gounden.
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