Chitrakūṭ

Rāma’s forest home · Mandākinī river, Madhya Pradesh–Uttar Pradesh border

Chitrakūṭ, on the Mandākinī river among the Vindhya hills, is where tradition says Rāma, Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa spent many years of their exile. Pilgrims bathe at Rāmghāṭ, walk the parikramā of Kāmadgiri, a hill revered as fulfilling wishes, and visit Sphaṭik Śilā, Gupta Godāvarī caves, Hanumān Dhārā and Sati Anasūyā’s āśrama.

The town is closely tied to Tulasīdāsa and the Rāmacaritamānasa. Dīpāvalī and amāvasyā (new-moon) days draw large crowds for the parikramā. October to March is the best season.

The Rāmāyaṇa tells how Bharata, refusing the throne that had been won for him, came to Chitrakūṭ to beg Rāma to return. Rāma would not break his father’s word, so Bharata took his sandals (pādukā) back to Ayodhyā and ruled only as their servant. This meeting, Bharat Milāp, is one of the most moving scenes in Rāma’s story.

Madhya Pradesh · Uttar Pradesh · Śrī Rāma · Kāmadgiri parikramā · Dīpāvalī

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