Indian man walks 8,600 kms to Mecca for Haj
A man from Kerala walked nearly 8,640 km from his state to the holy city of Mecca to complete his Haj journey.
New Delhi: A man from Kerala walked nearly 8,640 km from his state to the holy city of Mecca to complete his Haj journey.
The man, identified as, Shihab Chottur, walked all his way from India through Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait, and finally reached Saudi Arabia after 370 days.
Shihab hails from Valancherry in Kerala’s Malappuram district. He started his trek from his village to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj on June 2, 2022. He reached Mecca this month.
He went to Medina after entering Saudi Arabia. He spent 21 days in the Islamic pilgrimage site before he left for Mecca.
Shihab walked the 440 km distance between Medina and Mecca in nine days. He will perform the Haj after his mother, Zainaba, arrives in the city from Kerala.
After starting his journey in June last year, Shihab walked several states in India before he reached the Wagah border. He wanted to enter Pakistan via the Wagah border.
He faced his first hurdle as he was stopped by Pakistan’s immigration authorities while entering the country as he did not have a visa.
He waited at a school in Wagah for months to get a transit visa. In February 2023, he managed to get a transit visa and resumed his journey. Four months later, he reached his destination for Haj pilgrimage.
Ms Kalinga