Ramayana: In the Footsteps of Rama

The Ramayana begins its journey here. When Kaikeyi demands fourteen years of exile for Rama, he accepts, and Sita insists on going with him; Lakshmana follows. Many Hindus place Rama's birthplace at the site of today's Ram Mandir, consecrated on 22 January 2024. The identification is tradition and belief, not archaeology, so the pin marks the temple rather than a proven spot.

Location precision: Tradition places Rama's birthplace in Ayodhya, but the exact spot is a matter of belief; the pin marks the Ram Mandir.

Visitor guidance: Ram Mandir is a major pilgrimage site; expect crowds and security checks.

Tradition says Rama spent eleven years of his exile at Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh, the first forest of the journey. The epic brings Bharata here: he finds Rama in the forest and implores him to return and take the throne. Rama refuses to come back before the fourteen years are over, and Bharata goes home to rule on his brother's behalf. Chitrakoot Dham is still a pilgrim town.

Location precision: Chitrakoot is a traditional identification and no single spot is named; the pin marks the town of Chitrakoot Dham.

Panchavati, a pilgrim quarter of Nashik on the Godavari, is traditionally where Rama, Sita and Lakshmana lived, and its name means a grove of five banyan trees. In the epic, Lakshmana cuts off the nose of the demoness Shurpanakha near here. Her brother Ravana answers by sending Marica as a golden deer to lure Rama away. Lakshmana draws a line no demon can cross, and Ravana still abducts Sita.

Location precision: The epic names the Panchavati forest on the Godavari, but the exact spot is traditional; the pin marks Panchavati in Nashik.

Visitor guidance: Ramkund, the bathing ghat on the Godavari, and the Sita Cave are the best-known sites.

Regional tradition holds that Hampi, on the Tungabhadra (once called Pampa), is the Kishkindha of the Ramayana. Here Rama and Lakshmana meet Hanuman and Sugriva and search for Sita with the monkey army. Rama befriends Sugriva by killing his brother Vali. Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; its Kodandarama temple by the river holds a shrine to Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman.

Location precision: The identification of Hampi with Kishkindha is regional tradition; the pin marks Hampi.

Visitor guidance: The Kodandarama temple stands by the Tungabhadra.

In the Sundara Kanda Hanuman leaps to Lanka and finds Sita in the Ashoka grove, where Ravana presses her to marry him. He gives her Rama's signet ring as proof that Rama lives. In Sri Lanka, the Seetha Amman Temple near Nuwara Eliya is believed to be that place, and the nearby Hakgala Botanical Garden is said to be the garden Ravana made for her. The current temple was built by Indian Tamil workers brought by the British.

Location precision: Sri Lanka's Ramayana sites are traditional identifications; the pin marks the Seetha Amman temple near Nuwara Eliya.

Visitor guidance: The temple is about 5 km from Nuwara Eliya on the road to Kandy.

Back in India, the army reaches the southern sea. In the Yuddha Kanda Rama later tells Sita how Shiva appeared as a lingam on the island of Rameswaram before the bridge to Lanka was built. The town's name means Lord of Rama. The Ramanathaswamy Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva, and pilgrims come to it today.

Location precision: The epic mentions the island of Rameswaram but not a temple; the pin marks the Ramanathaswamy Temple.

Visitor guidance: The Ramanathaswamy Temple stands in the centre of the town.

At the tip of Pamban Island the vanaras Nala and Nila build the Rama Setu to Lanka. Local tradition says Vibhishana, Ravana's brother, surrendered to Rama at Dhanushkodi. Today's Adam's Bridge is a chain of natural limestone shoals toward Mannar Island, about 24 km from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. The town was destroyed by the 1964 cyclone and has been uninhabited since, which makes it a haunting last stop.

Location precision: The bridge's start is traditional and the shoals are natural; the pin marks Dhanushkodi, the nearest point on the Indian side.

Visitor guidance: A road now reaches Dhanushkodi from Rameswaram.