Paduka

Paduka (Sanskrit: पादुक, romanized: pāduka) is an ancient form of footwear in India, consisting of a sole with a post and knob which is positioned between the big and second toe.

Bharata carried Rama's golden padukas with great reverence by placing them on his head as a mark of his obedience to his elder brother.

[7][8] The footwear is basically a sandal, which has generally a wooden sole with a post and a stub to provide grip between the big and second toes.

It does not have straps of any kind to adhere the sole to the foot, so the wearer has to actively grip the post between the two toes to keep the sandal in place while walking.

[1] Made in the shape of the footprints, with two narrow and curved stilts, the design is specific to ensure that the principle of non-violence – practised by the saintly followers of Hindu and Jain religions – is not violated by accidental trampling of insects and vegetation.

The Brahmins wearing such a paduka may be heard praying: "Forgive me Mother Earth the sin of injury, the violence I do, by placing my feet upon you this morning.

[12] People of high societal status wear padukas made of fine teak, ebony and sandalwood and inlaid with ivory or wire.

[14] A unique pair of wooden padukas have their toe knobs inlaid with ivory lotus flowers and are minutely painted.

[11] In a festival associated with the Hindu god Vithoba, pilgrims travel to his Pandharpur temple from Alandi and Dehu towns that are closely associated with poet-saints Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram (respectively), carrying the padukas of the saints in a silver palkhi (palanquin).

On Deepavali festival day, Lakshmi is devotionally ushered into the house through symbolic representation with a series of her footprints (paduka) drawn in paint or kolam and lit with oil lamps, from the main door to the private sanctum.

'1,000 verses on the footwear' (of Ranganatha)) is a devotional poem extolling the virtues of worshipping the paduka (feet) of Vishnu, enshrined in Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple of Srirangam, Tamil Nadu.

According to Sri Vaishnava tradition, the 1,000 verses of the Paduka Sahasra were composed in a single night by Vedanta Desika as a part of a literary contest.