Chitrakoot - Divine Stay in the lap of Nature & Sprtiuality

The Serene and divine Chitrakoot is situated across two districts ( Satna in Madhya Pradesh & Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh). it has embraced numerous exotic places in its lap which are truly myhtological and mystical. According to Hindu mythology and the epic Ramcharitmanas this was the place where where Bharata (younger Brother of Lord Ram) came to visit Ram and requested him to return to Ayodhya and take over the kingdom. Chitrkoot is revered as hill of many wonders due to its range of mystical places like  Hanuman Dhara, Gupt Godavari, Janki Kund and many ashrams. it is believed that Goswami Tulsidas (who wrote the great Poetry from ancient times about Lord Ram & his life 'The Ramcharitmanas') spent many years of his life here writing chapters of Ramcharitmanas and other poetry about his fondness and attachment to Lord Ram. Ramghat and Kamad giri are among the most prominent places here.

Tip: 
1. If you are coming from Delhi you can catch either UP Samprak Kranti or Mahakaushal Train and de-board at Karwi railway station which is in close proximity to Chitrakoot Dham.

• For info related to trains operated by Indian Railway please go to  https://enquiry.indianrail.gov.in/ntes/index.html or http://www.indianrail.gov.in

2. If you are coming via road it is highly recommended that you reach before 6-7 PM as this place is surrounded by dense forests and may not be safer to travel during night.

I happened to visit this place during one of the rituals in family and our first stop was Ram Ghat at the bank of river Mandakini.

Ram Ghat - Chitrakoot

RAM GHAT

Ramghat is the most visited place in Chitrakoot. It is believed that right here lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman appeared before great poet Tulsidas of "Bhakti Era of Indian Poetry" and gave his the much desired "Darshan"(Sight of God). According to mythology Tulsidas completed his greatest piece of work "Ramcharit manas" sitting on these ghats. Soon after reaching the Ram Ghat I took a dip in the holy Mandakini river and paid my visit to the river side temple.The fragrance of incense sticks and the hymn of holy chants by the saints provided an unparalleled experience. I went for boating and enjoyed the beauty of this place until the evening. the serene river stream and the tranquility of the lace was all heart warming. In the boat there were little rabbits who made it all more enjoyable. After boating I attended the daily aarti which was performed with sounds of bell and holy chants. This was truly divine and unforgettable experience.

Boating at RamGhat - Chitrakoot

Temple at Ram Ghat

Kamad Giri

Kamadgiri is a hill surrounded by  multiple Hindu temples on all sides and is considered to be the heart of Chitrakoot and this is where the boundary of two states Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh joins each other. This place has many holy and significant temples and places like Bharat MIlap Temple, Sita Rasoi. I was fascinated to see the foot prints of Lord Ram and sita (as belived per mythology). We also took Parikrama (Round about) of the Kamadgiri as it is believed that "parikrama" around kamadgiri ends all the sorrows and fulfills all the wishes. The round about is long and took about two hours as during the path you get to see so many religious places, eateries, shops full of antique, religious and fashionable items.

Entry Gate - Kamadgiri

You got to be aware about the potential confrontation from monkeys which are in hoards around the Kamadgiri. you have to be careful while offering eatables to these naughty yet lovely creatures all along the round about.

Kamadgiri - Round About

Hanuman Dhara

Now it was time to see another prominent place for devotees - Hanuman Dhara Temple. It is temple of deity of lord Hanuman (Fondly called Bajrangbali and considered among the Hindu gods), the greatest devotee for Lord Shri Ram. There is a stream of water falling upon the deity of lord Hanuman releasing in a kund. Before going to temple I washed our face & hands with the holy water from the kund. I saw so many langoors (Old World monkeys constituting the entirety of the genus Semnopithecus) in this area which are well associated with Hanuman. As per mythological stories it is believed that Lord Shri Ram pierced an arrow in these mountain which sprang up the stream of water (Dhara) and helped Hanuman to extinguish the fire that was caught in his tail after he burned the Lanka (Palace of Demon Ravana who kept Sita as hostage). The surrounding locale present an awe inspiring  scenery. I also went up to see "Sita Rasoi" that was 100 feet away. this place is believed to be the kitchen of Ma Sita  where she used to cook for Lord Ram and his brother Lakshman.

Gupt Godavari

After exploring and absorbing the experience at Hanuman Dhara I moved to Gupt Godawari which took about 35-40 minutes. This happened to be the most amazing and mystic place in the wonderful place like Chitrakoot itself. Gupt Godavari is about 18 km south from Ram Ghat and is 19 kms from Hanuman Dhara Temple.There are a couple of caves with a very small entry point (Cave Opening through which one can barely pass). there is a carved sculpture of Hindu Trinities Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva at the entrance of the cave. Height of cave is good however, width continue to chnage along the way depending upon the rock structures on both side of the cave.Through out the caves cold streams of water flow and water-level is up-to knee height. According to Mythology Godavari River emerging as a stream from the rocks within the cave and flows through to disappears in the mountains and then emerges in Nasik which is considered to be the actual origin of Godavari Rive which is also know as " Ganges of South". This place has a big Rock believed to be the place where Lord Ram and Lakshman used to hold a court. It was truly blissful experience to be there and soak in the nature's beautiful creations.

After Gupt Godavari I started towards Sati Anusuiya Ashram.

Sati Anusuiya Ashram

It was about 8 and half kilometers away and I was able to reach within 20 minutes. Place had multiple temples along side river "Mandakini". The Sati Anusuiya ashram is far away from the main Chitrakoot Dham area (Ram Ghat) and is surrounded by dense green forest. Green mountain and river Mandakini are on either side of this ashram area.

The main temple area has huge concrete ashram with sculptures and paintings showing many incidents & mythological stories associated with Devi Sati Anusuya and her husband Rishi Atri. It is believed that impressed by her loyalty, sage Narad showered her with praises which made the wives of  Trinity Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh jealous. To test her they planned and asked their husbands to go and break her  satitva (purity). In the absence of Rishi Atri trinity gods went to Sati Anusuiya as ascetics and asked her to serve them food while being naked. To protect her sanity and also to oblige the request she sprinkled holy water on them and converted them to babies and fed them. The wives saw and realized their mistakes.The gods were then born to her as her sons Soma, Dattatreya and Durvasa.

This is where I had to stop my voyage and came back with a though of coming back soon to see rest of the places that I could not manage this time around. However, what a beautiful and tranquil place. Highly recommenced if you are in love with the mother nature and spirituality.