Diggi Kalyanji Lakkhi Mela & Padyatra

Every monsoon, in the sacred month of Shravan, a river of barefoot pilgrims flows out of Jaipur's old city and walks roughly 75 kilometres southwest to a modest Vishnu shrine at Diggi, a small town in Malpura tehsil of Tonk district.

• This is the Diggi Kalyanji Lakkhi Padyatra — 'lakkhi' meaning 'of lakhs', a nod to the hundreds of thousands who join it.
• The march sets off from the Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple on Chaura Rasta, threads out through Jaipur's gates along the Tonk road, and ends at the feet of Kalyanji.
• Because Diggi sits well outside the Pink City in a neighbouring district, this is firmly a day-trip or overnight pilgrimage, not a city-centre stop.
• The deity at Diggi is Vishnu, worshipped here as Kalyanji, 'the benevolent one'.
• Tradition — and it should be read as devotional legend rather than documented history — tells of a king named Digva who was stricken with leprosy, recovered an idol of Vishnu from the sea, enshrined it at this spot and was cured; the grateful ruler is said to have given his name to the town and the god the name Kalyan.
• The temple that stands today is an old, unshowy sandstone complex whose real drama is human: through Shravan, and on the great Purnima and ekadashi days across the year, its courtyards fill with singing, drums and the shuffle of tired, blessed feet.
• The padyatra has run for well over half a century — organisers counted the 57th edition in 2022 — and around it has grown a full-blown fair, the Lakkhi Mela.
• Roadside camps, water points and volunteer bhandaras (free community kitchens) line the route, while bhajan groups and flag-bearing sanghs give the walk the feel of a moving festival.
• At Diggi itself the days around the yatra turn the town into a crowded mela ground of stalls, prasad counters and pilgrims resting in the shade.
• For the vegetarian traveller this is easy, welcome territory.
• Like all such Vaishnav pilgrimages the food culture here is entirely vegetarian, and the bhandaras and prasad stalls serve simple satvik fare — though on a day of lakhs of walkers you should treat roadside hygiene with care and carry sealed water and snacks.
• There is no dependable, verified pure-vegetarian restaurant in Diggi itself; the nearest kitchens we can vouch for are back in Jaipur, some 75–90 km away, so plan to eat before you leave the city or once you return.
• Go in Shravan (roughly July–August) if you want the padyatra in full swing, and be ready for monsoon heat, immense crowds and long darshan queues; the temple is otherwise a quiet, undramatic stop the rest of the year.
• Confirm the current year's dates locally before setting out, dress modestly for an active place of worship, and leave footwear and leather outside.