Retracing the Legends of Ramayana in 21st Century
Ramayana, the magical tale about the victory of good against
evil, the story about ethics, truth and wisdom has left a great impact on all
of us. With every story, there are plenty of things to learn about. Aren't you
curious if you could pay a visit to the places where those divine episodes took
place and became legends with the impeccable array of events? In case, you have
been wondering of where you can find these locations across the India and SriLanka, you will be glad to know a few places we have found that still exist and
flourish from the era and offer a significant experience to its visitors. Even
though, there are plenty of places famous about tales, there are a few that are
lesser known among tourists and devotees. So, let’s get going and start retracing
the legends of Ramayana in 21st century.
Chitrakoot
The home of lord Rama for over 11 years during his exile,
Chitrakoot is among the most relevant places you can find in the entire tales
of Ramayana. This was the place where Bharat met Rama to share the grieving
news of their father Dashratha’s demise and performed last rites as the elder
sons. Presently, this place is located in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh.
Located 130kms west from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, this place has become a pilgrimage
for people and thousands of devotees visit here annually to pay their respect
and experience the holiness of this spiritual attraction.
Dandakaranya
The forests situated in the Chhattisgarh
region, Dandakaranya is a sacred place where some major events from the era of
Ramayana took place. In Dandakaranya, the events like attack on Rama and
Ravana's sister Surpanakha got her nose chopped by Lakshmana. Today, these
dense forests are among a major attraction for nature and history lovers and
visited by a big number of people from distinct parts of the nation.
Furthermore, the proximity from Vishakhapatnam is incredible and with a road
trip of nearly 8 hours, you can explore these dense wilderness here and witness
an array of landscapes of different altitude here.
Kishkindha
Holding a massive significance in the ancient and modern
history of India, Hampi was formerly known as Kishkindha, the empire of ape
king Bali and Sugriva. The entire region of Hampi has been transcript in many
tales from Sanskrit mythology text books and if you are following the footsteps
of Lord Rama in exile, then visiting here will be a must. The UNESCO World
Heritage site of Hampi is the very place where Lord Rama helped the Ape king
Sugriva to get his kingdom back from his own elder brother Bali. The kingdom
then was given to Sugriva by lord Rama where they formed the army of apes and
bears to fight against Ravana.
Rishimukh Parbat
In the region of present Hampi, Rishimukh Parbat is this
massive rock mountain that is associated directly with the stories in Ramayana.
According to Ramayana, Rishimukh Parbat was the very place where Lord Rama met
with Lord Hanuman and Ape emperor Sugriva for the very first time. Ideally
nestled in the middle of the Hampi region, Rishimukh Parbat is frequently
visited by pilgrims and has been emerging as a major attraction for tourists.
Dhanushkodi
The southernmost town of India where Lord Rama began to
construct the world-famous Rama Setu, Dhanushkodi is a divine attraction and
among the most major pilgrimages for those who are following the footsteps of
Lord Rama in 21st century. Thrashed by the cyclone in 1964, this
small island is yet habited by around 500 people. The relevance among pilgrims
of Dhanushkodi became even more prominent after the cyclone in 1964 when the
entire island got thrashed the only thing withstood against the strong winds was
the famous Kodandarama temple which is still standing tall here along with a
few structures.
Ashok Vatika
For those who have had known the stories in Ramayana are
well aware of the famous Ashok Vatika where Goddess Sita was held captivate
after refusing to live with Ravana in his fort and the garden which was
destroyed by lord Hanuman in the search of Sita. Presently, it is said that the
garden exist and some people say that the present location of the garden is
Ashokavanam whereas some state that the current location of Ashok Vatika is
Hakgala Botanical Garden near Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka. Regardless of which
one is true, both of the place are really wonderful and appears to be a piece
of paradise with dense wilderness and exquisite variety of flora and fauna.
Apart from famous places like Ayodhya, Pryag, Rameshwaram,
Janakpur and many more, these places are the one that have been holding a
massive relevance in the histories relating with Ramayana and somehow got
overshadowed by the development of infrastructure. Still, if you think you need
to explore these offbeat attractions, then you can easily travel to these
places using local transport. For other attractions located in Sri Lanka, you
can book your Sri Lanka Ramayana holiday package with ASAPHolidays.com and get
delighted by following the footsteps of Lord Rama.
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