In a nation where padayatras are deeply woven into the fabric of its civilisational legacy, the heir to India’s most affluent family has set out on a spiritual journey on foot, echoing this age-old Indian tradition of seeking communion with the divine.
Anant Ambani, 29, embarked on a 180-kilometre padayatra on March 29, setting out quietly from Jamnagar, his ancestral hometown, towards the sacred Dwarkadhish Temple in Dwarka. Walking 20 kilometres a day for 6 to 7 hours, he is expected to reach the holy destination by April 8—one day before his 30th birthday.
This is no ceremonial march. It is an act of pure devotion—an offering of the body, mind, and spirit to Lord Krishna. With every step, Anant, a scion of India’s wealthiest family, surrenders to the grace of Dwarkadhish and the ideals of Sanatan Dharma. His walk is not about making a statement; it is about seeking the divine in stillness, solitude, and sweat.
What makes this journey truly remarkable is that Anant undertakes it while grappling with Cushing’s Syndrome—a rare hormonal disorder—alongside morbid obesity and lifelong conditions such as asthma and severe lung disease.
As Anant Ambani walks this sacred path, he has been warmly welcomed by local communities. Many have joined him along stretches of the route, while others have offered prayers, blessings, or devotional keepsakes in honour of Lord Dwarkadhish.
Two respected spiritual figures also lent support with their presence including Dhirendra Shastri, the head priest of Bageshwar Dham known for his popular discourses and outreach to youth across India, and Rasraj Maharaj, a revered Vaishnavacharya and spiritual teacher associated with the Pushtimarg tradition.
Anant spends his journey absorbed in devotion, reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, the Sundarkand, and sacred Devi stotras.
Anant, the younger son of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, is of a deeply religious and spiritual bent of mind, and this padayatra is of a piece with his personality. He is a frequent traveller to some of India’s holiest temples and also a generous benefactor. He has contributed to the restoration and upkeep of the Kalighat Temple in Kolkata, the Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara and the Kamakhya Temple in Assam. Several of the Akharas were beneficiaries of his munificence during the Mahakumbh that concluded in February. He is also a trustee at the sacred Badrinath and Kedarnath dhams.
Accompanied only by a few aides and spiritual mentors, Anant’s padayatra is an inward quest. In a world of constant noise, endless distractions, and shifting values, Anant Ambani’s walk to Dwarka is a rare act of clarity, courage, and conviction.
For a generation searching for depth in the superficial, and meaning in chaos, his padayatra offers something powerful—a reminder that faith is timeless, and that resilience doesn’t always roar.
Anant’s walk is not about ritual. It is about responsibility to the self. About waking up each day and choosing to walk a harder path—not for praise, but for peace. Through this sacred and deeply personal trek, Anant Ambani speaks to a generation.
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