Day 10: Tewkesbury to Adhisthana, 13.5 miles. Mud and Rose Petals... 🌹🥳🎉
Ratnadharini writes:
...and amazingly we've exceeded the target of raising £15,000 for Tiratanaloka Unlimited!!! I left Tewkesbury along the River Severn, then across country towards the distant Malvern Hills. Greeted by very friendly sheep with dreadlocks, like the ones that graze at Adhisthana. Up and over the Malverns, and then the GPS insisted I take a track that got more and more rutted and flooded; a convoy of Landrover Discovery 4x4s slid past and explained it was a test route. Suddenly on familiar territory...
Finally walking up the lane to Adhisthana, I rounded the bend and was greeted by members of the community and people who have been on the Pilgrims' Week, chanting the Shakyamuni mantra and throwing... rose petals! I'd hardly talked to anyone during my pilgrimage, and it was a wonderful welcome back. There were ice-cold drinks and ice lollies, so I spent a while rehydrating – before paying my respects to Bhante's burial mound. I'll be out there again at 7am tomorrow, for the final session of a continuous 108 hour circumambulation...
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