After twenty years away, a missing son returned to his Kurugodu home as a respected, saffron-robed holy monk.
BELLARI
A family in Kurugodu town experienced absolute magic when their long-lost son returned home as a holy monk after disappearing twenty years ago.
Shankar Acharya was just eighteen when he left his village. His parents, Chandrashekharacharya and Chandrakala, were facing severe financial struggles at the time. Shankar moved to Bangalore to find work but faced continuous disappointment. Seeking a new path, he moved to Mumbai and completely lost touch with his family.
Eventually, Shankar traveled to Haridwar, where he spent seven years studying spirituality. He took holy vows under a guru named Niranjan Dev and became a monk, adopting the new name Rajan Puri Maharaja. For the past eight years, he has served as the deputy head of a temple in Gujarat.
Shankar met a man named Kumbar Basavaraj online, who happened to live in Kurugodu. After swapping details over the phone, Basavaraj realized the connection and warmly invited the monk back to his hometown to reunite with his family.
Dressed in traditional saffron robes, Shankar finally walked into his parent’s house. The elderly couple was overcome with tears of joy upon seeing their only son alive. Relatives and happy villagers rushed to the house to welcome him and seek his blessings. Shankar chatted with his loved ones using a unique mix of Hindi and Kannada. He plans to visit the local temple before returning to his spiritual duties.