THEN -
Rama, Sita and Lakshman spent the intial 11 years of their exile in the forests
of Chitrakoot. When King Dasharatha passed away in Ayodhya, Bharata comes in
search of Rama and met him in these forests, where he requests Rama to come
back to rule Ayodhya. Rama, however, refuses, and Bharata instead, takes the
'paaduka' of Rama with him and places them on the throne, before assuming the
position as the king of Ayodhya.
NOW – The Chitrakoot
region falls in the northern Vindhya range spread over the states of Uttar
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and is a place rich with verdant cliffs, tranquil
glades, gurgling waterfalls and the murmuring Mandakini river. It has several
places of tourist importance connected to the Ramayana. The Ramghat lines the
Mandakini river, where Rama, Lakshman and Sita are believed to have taken bath.
The Bharat Milap temple
marks the spot where Bharat met Rama, informed him of Dashrath’s demise and
persuaded him to return to Ayodhya and claim his rightful throne. But when Rama
refused, Bharat took his Paduka (slippers) with him to Ayodhya to place it on
the throne until Rama's return to the kingdom.
It is said that the
meeting of four brothers was so emotional that even the rocks and mountains of
Chitrakoot melted.
The Sphatic Shila is
another densely forested area on the banks of the Mandakini. According to
Ramacharit Manas, it is said that Rama with Lakshmana was sitting on this rock
when Hanuman returned from Lanka and confirmed the news to Lord Rama that Sita
has been imprisoned in Ashoka Vatika at Lanka. There is also a boulder here
which bears Rama's footprints.
Hanuman Dhara is a
spring said to have been created by Rama to assuage Hanuman when the latter
returned after setting Lanka afire. A couple of temples commemorate this spot,
which offers a panoramic view of Chitrakoot.
The Rama Shaiya is the
place where Rama, Sita and Lakshmana used to sleep and rest in the evenings
after wandering around the forest of Chitrakoot. It is located between
mountains with no town nearby. It has a large flat-bed rock which bears foot
inprints popularly believed to be those of
Rama, Sita and Lakshman.
