Following the Footsteps of Lord Rama in Chhattisgarh

In an effort to enrich the experience and beliefs of people, the Chhattisgarh Government has been identifying places which have a belief of association with Ramayana & Lord Rama from the great epic. The first 9 such sites are being developed under Phase 1 of the flagship Project “Ram Van Gaman Paryatan Paripath” in the form of a religious tourist circuit to strengthen the faith and facilitate the visitors with provision of required infrastructure.

Lord Rama, Mata Sita and brother Lakshmana spent a substantial part of their 14-year-long exile in the region that now comprises of the state of Chhattisgarh. Many important events of the epic of Ramayana are believed to have occurred here. Chhattisgarh is also believed to be the birthplace of Lord Rama’s mother, Mata Kaushalya, who was a princess of the Kingdom of Dakshin Kosal. It is, therefore, considered as the maternal home of Lord Rama. The region of Dandakaranya Forests as depicted in the Ramayana is also believed to be the present-day forests of the state of Chhattisgarh, where Lord Rama lived out most of his years of exile.

From the district of Koriya in the north to Sukma in the south, the Government of Chhattisgarh has identified 75 places in the state which have belief and stories of association where Lord Rama halted during his exile. The journey that Lord Rama undertook across the region as he went from place to place is being developed as a tourist circuit known as the Ram Van Gaman Paryatan Paripath. Out of these 75 places, Chhattisgarh has decided to develop nine major spots in the first phase.

The nine locations are: Sitamarhi-Harchauka (Koriya District), Ramgarh (Surguja District), Shivrinarayan (Janjgir – Champa District), Turturiya (Baloda Bazar District), Chandkhuri (Raipur District), Rajim (Gariaband District), Saptarishi Ashram, Sihawa (Dhamtari District), Jagdalpur (Bastar District), and Ramaram (Sukma District).

CHHATTISGARH RAM VAN GAMAN PARYATAN PARIPATH

Sitamarhi-Harchauka is believed to be the first point of travel of Lord Rama in today’s Chhattisgarh where he prayed to Lord Shiva in caves. It is said in folklores that the knowledge of “Naari Dharma” was imparted by Anusuiya Mata to Mata Sita in Koriya.

The travels of Lord Rama during his 14-year-long exile have been said to be extensively in the forests of Dandakaranya, which falls mostly in today’s Chhattisgarh. The project of Ram Van Gaman Paryatan Paripath aims to map and develop such places of religious significance which saw important events in the epic of Ramayana.

The journey then continued to Ramagiri Parvat in Surguja for a while. The famous tale of “Shabari ke Ber” where Shabari fed her half-eaten Ber (Indian plums) to Lord Rama has its links to Shivrinarayan in Chhattisgarh.

Lord Rama’s and Mata Sita’s connection to Chhattisgarh is not limited to his travel during the exile period as their sons Luv and Kush are believed to have been born at Saint V almiki’s Ashram in what is known today as Turturiya. The Nanihal of Lord Rama, that is, Mata Kaushalya’s birthplace and roots lay in Chandkhuri, near Raipur with a well-known temple at present dedicated to Mata Kaushalya Mata. The temple is frequented by a large number of devotees all through the year.

Chhattisgarh has many such other places associated with the Ramayana to offer which will give the devotees a spiritual experience. The significance of the nine key spots being developed in the first phase of developing the Ram Van Gaman Paryatan Paripath is as follows:

SITAMARHI-HARCHAUKA

Lord Rama’s exile in Chhattisgarh is believed to have started from this spot near Bharatpur on the banks of the Mavai River in Koriya District where they had a halt in a cave on the banks of the river. There exist several shivlings in multiple rooms in this cave. Sita Mata while staying here made food and hence the spot is known as “Sita Mata ki Chauki” which explains the significance of the name of this place “Sitamarhi-Harchauka”.The place is being beautified and the waterfront and ghat are being developed as well under the Ram Van Gaman Paryatan Paripath project.

RAMGARH

The Ramgiri Parvat in Sarguja District finds mention in Pauranic and historical treatises, while the Sitabengra-Jogimara Cave near Udaipur has some of the oldest rock art in the world. It is believed that during their exile, Lord Rama and Sita spent some time here, hence the name Sitabengra. A number of components are proposed at Ramgarh under RVGP, including beautification, electrification, signage, Ramayana interpretation centre, landscaping, etc.

SHIVRINARAYAN

With rare scenic beauty, Shivrinarayan marks the confluence of the Shivnath, Jonk and Mahanadi rivers in Janjgir-Champa District. This pilgrim location is associated with the famous anecdote of Shabri and Narayan from the Ramayana, hence the name. It was at this location that Shabri, an ardent devotee, met Lord Rama and offered him the tasted berries. Shabri was a member of the Shabar tribe and a devotee of Sage Matangya. The Shabar tribe can still be found residing in the region around Shivrinarayan. There is a temple here dedicated to Nar-Narayan and Shabri Mata near an ancient banyan tree.

After spending some time in Shivrinarayan, Lord Rama travelled to Kharod also known as Kashi of Chhattisgarh situated three kilometres away from Shivrinarayan. This is considered as the capital of the demons Khar and Dushan from the tales of Ramayana. The ancient Lakshmaneshwar Mahadev Temple here is believed to have been established by Lord Lakshmana himself.

A lot of development works are planned here like ghat beautification, construction of Ramayana interpretation centre & cafeteria. Some of the work is complete.

TURTURIYA

TURTURIYASurrounded by forests near Balukini hill, Turturiya is a charming little hamlet. This is where Maharishi Valmiki’s ashram was believed to be situated and where Luv and Kush, the children of Lord Rama and Sita were born. This makes it an extremely important place from a religious point of view. The river passes through natural stone formations here making a sound like ‘tur tur’, lending it its name Turturiya.

Apart from a Ramayana interpretation centre and beautification of the ashram, an entrance gate and the construction of food kiosks are planned for development.

CHANDKHURI

CHANDKHURIAfter visiting the ancient city of Sirpur on the banks of the Mahanadi, Lord Rama, Sita Mata and Lakshmana are believed to have travelled to Arang-Chandkhuri. Set on the banks of the Mahanadi, Arang boasts Kaushalya Kund and the ancient Bageshwar Shiv Temple. Named after the Chandravanshi dynasty, Chandkhuri village is 27 kilometres from Chhattisgarh’s capital, Raipur.

In this village of 126 ponds, set in Jalsen Talab is India’s only temple dedicated to Mata Kaushalya. The adorable idol in the temple depicts Mata Kaushalya holding the child Rama in her Lap. It is this spot that has earned Chhattisgarh the reputation of being Lord Rama’s maternal home.

Apart from improving the temple precincts and beautifying the waterfront and ghats, Ramayana interpretation centre, construction of a ‘deep stambh’ and statue have already taken place in the 1st phase of development.

RAJIM

RAJIMAfter Arang, Lord Rama and Sita headed towards Rajim. Located at the confluence of three rivers—Mahanadi, Sondur and Pairi, the ancient town of Rajim is known as the Prayagraj of Chhattisgarh. In ancient times it was known as Padmavatipura. During the Van Gaman, Lord Rama is believed to have spent some time at Lomesh Rishi Ashram here. There is a Sita Vatika here. From here, Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana offered prayers at Kuleshwar Mahadev before heading to Panchkoshi.

A lot of the planned developments are in full swing and many have already been completed. In Chandkhuri, the first two phases of work is complete and the third phase has started.

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Basic facilities on the Panchkoshi circuit are planned besides waterfront and ghat beautification, along with a Ramayana interpretation centre, and development of approach roads to Rajiv Lochan Temple and Lomesh Rishi Ashram.

SIHAWA

Set 65 kilometres from Dhamtari and surrounded by dense forests and hills lies holy Sihawa. This is the source of the mighty Mahanadi, the lifeline of Chhattisgarh. King Dashratha’s daughter and Lord Rama’s sister Shanta was married to Shringi Rishi who are believed to have lived here. Beyond the Shringi Rishi Ashram in Sihawa is a mountain with the Shanta Cave in it. Given his close family ties to this area, Lord Rama spent a considerable part of his long exile here.

The development of the Saptarishi Ashram, yagyashala, Rama’s Statue, Interpretation Centre, cottages in Mukundpur and Sihawa are planned.

JAGDALPUR

Chitrakote was an important stop for Lord Rama during his travel through Bastar. The spectacular Chitrakote Falls on the Indravati River are a sight to behold. The devotees believe that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati came to this scenic spot to meet Lord Rama. From Chitrakote, Lord Rama headed to Jagdalpur, the main settlement in Dandakaranya. The Dalpat Sagar Lake here is a vast and serene waterbody. From Jagdalpur, Lord Rama headed to Dantewada and onwards to Teerathgarh on the banks of the Kanger River. There is an ancient spot here called Sita Nahani as well as the beautiful Teerathgarh Falls. The next stop was the Kotumsar Cave, which is also known as Koti Maheshwar. Lord Rama prayed to Lord Shiva here.

RAMARAM

While wandering in Dandakaranya, Lord Rama took the riverine route from Kotumsar to Sukma. Beyond Sukma he arrived at a place now known by his name—Ramaram. Lord Rama’s footprints have been found on a nearby hill. Lord Rama performed a puja to Bhu Devi here. On every Ram Navami, the Goddess is worshipped here with a lot of devotion and a huge fair is also held.

Welcome Gate, Modular Shops, Signages, Interpretation Centre, Deep Stambh, Kiosks, etc, are planned to be developed here.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF RAM VAN GAMAN PATH

PATHA lot of the planned developments are in full swing and many of them have already been completed. In Chandkhuri, the first two phases of work is complete and the third phase has started. At Shivrinarayan, ghat beautification, putting up of statues, Ramayana interpretation centre, and visitor facilities were unveiled on 10th April, 2022. The second phase work will see a grand entrance gate, statue of Lord Rama, landscaping, beautification of the Lakshmana Temple in Kharod, etc.

Development work is in progress at other locations and will be unveiled in phases. Soon Chhattisgarh will welcome pilgrims and tourists to embark on a heart-moving circuit that retraces Lord Rama’s memorable journey in the region.

(A marketing initiative by Open Avenues)

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