Pune adventurer performs first-ever ‘air-parikrama’ of Ram Temple in Ayodhya

Pune/Lucknow, Feb. 23 (IANS) – Extreme sports enthusiast Shital Rane-Mahajan performed a daring ‘hawai-parikrama’ of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, followed by a para-dive onto a landing pad in the Sarayu river on Friday. The unique adventure marked the one-month anniversary of the temple’s inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Shital, 41, decided to do something exceptional to honor the grand Ram Temple consecration. “I thought of a para-jump and ‘hawai-parikrama’ and I completed it successfully today,” she told IANS with excitement after the remarkable landing. She flew in a power hang-glider aircraft piloted by Gonda BJP MP, Kirti Vardhan Singh, who circled around the temple but did not fly above it due to restrictions.

After reaching a height of 5,000 feet, Shital took the plunge, jumping out and free falling until 3,500 feet before opening her parachute. She also unfurled a large saffron flag with a special slogan in the air. Guiding the parachute to the landing pad in the Sarayu river, she was greeted with applause from the spectators in Ayodhya upon her return ashore.

Preparations for the jump began four months in advance with permissions from various authorities. Due to inclement weather on February 22, the jump was postponed to February 23. Shital, a Padma Shri awardee and mother of twin sons, Vaishnav and Vrushabh, has a history of performing extreme stunts around the world. She has completed around 800 jumps and set several records in her adventurous career.