This extraordinary love story of a man who cycled from India to Sweden to be with his wife is touching hearts all over the world

This week the story of a man who cycled across eight countries to be reunited with his wife was re-shared on Facebook, and in just a few days it has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

In 1973 Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia, from the 'untouchable' caste, was studying at the College of Art in New Delhi, where he shot to fame after painting a portrait of Indira Gandhi.

Swedish student Charlotte Von Schedvin, who was living in London at the time, heard of his work, and travelled to India in hopes of meeting him.

In the course of Charlotte sitting for a portrait, the pair fell in love.

They got married in a traditional Indian ceremony - but Charlotte had to return to Sweden while Pradyumna finished his studies.

Charlotte, whose family was connected to Swedish royalty, offered to pay for Pradyumna's plane ticket - but he wanted to figure out how to pay his own way.

He sold all his possessions and bought a bicycle, setting out on a journey across Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Germany, Austria and Denmark before he reached Sweden.

It took Pradyumna four months and three weeks to get to Gothenburg. But he and Charlotte haven't been separated since.

The couple had another marriage ceremony in Sweden and had two children together.

Today, Pradyumna is a well-known artist and serves as a cultural ambassador between India and Sweden.

Pradyumna and Charlotte have been married for 40 years.

Famous Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has expressed an interest in making a film about Pradyumna's life.

Read the whole viral post below:

HT: Buzzfeed