Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh

When Bharat was asked by his ministers to take his seat upon the throne of Ayodhya, he refused and came to Chitrakoot to meet Lord Ram. Here at place called Bharat Milap, Bharat met Lord Ram and requested him to return to Ayodhya and rule; but Lord Ram would not. Then Bharat returned to Ayodhya and installed the sandals on the throne, and, living in retirement, carried on the government as their minister. Now Lord Rama decided for two reasons to leave Chitrakuta: first, in as much as hosts of rakshasas, out of hatred of him, annoyed the hermits of that place; and, secondly, because the host of men from Ayodhya had trampled and defiled the place; and, moreover, it reminded him too sharply of brother's grief and the citizens' and queen-mothers'. He went, therefore, with Sita and Lakshmana toward Dandaka forest.[3]

The ghats that line the Mandakini river are called Ramghat. During the exile period Rama, Lakshmana and Sita took bath here and are believed to have appeared before the poet Tulsidas.

Shri Kamta Nath 2nd face on Kamadgiri parikrma path

Kamadgiri, the original Chitrakoot, is a place of religious significance. A forested hill, it is skirted all along its base by a chain of temples and is venerated today as the holy embodiment of Rama. Lord Rama is also known as Kamadnathji or Kamtanath which literally means fulfiller of all wishes.[5] There is a 5 km Parikrama Path around the Kamadgiri Mountain.

Places Related to Ramayana, showing Chitrakuta in Rama's journey from Ayodhya to Lanka.

Bharat Milap temple is located here, marking the spot where Bharata is said to have met Rama to persuade him to return to the throne of Ayodhya. It is said that the meeting of four brothers was so emotional that even the rocks and mountains of Chitrakut melted. Foot prints of Lord Rama and his brothers were imprinted on these rocks and are still present today and seen in Bharat Milap Mandir. Bharat milap mandir is situated beside kamadgiri mountain, in the circumambulation path of kamadgiri.

Janaki Kund is situated upstream of the Ramghat where it is believed that Sita bathed in the crystal clear waters of Mandakini river during the years of her exile with Rama.

View of Mandakini River at Anusuya ashram

Sati Anasuya ashrama is located further upstream, 16 km from the town, set amidst thick forests that round to the melody of birdsong all day. It was here that Atri muni, his wife Anasuya and their three sons (who were the three incarnations of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh), lived and are said to have meditated.

As per description of Valmiki at one time there was no rain in Chitrakuta for ten years. There was a severe famine and nothing was left to eat or drink for animals and birds. Sati Anasuya performed hard and intensive austerities and got the river Mandakini down on earth. This led to the greenery and forests to grow which removed the sufferings of all sages and the animals.[6]

Sati Anasuya ashrama at present is a very peaceful place where various streams from the hills converge and form the Mandakini River. It is said that Rama along with Sita had visited this place to meet Maharishi Atri and Sati Anasuya. It is here Sati Anasuya explained to Sita the grandeur and importance of Satitva (which means chastity; not the sati practice). The dense forests of Dandaka start from this place. It was ruled by Ravana. Ravana had appointed strong rakshasas like Khara and Viradha as its rulers. The place was infected by the terror of rakshasas.[7]

Gupt-Godavari is situated at a distance of 18 km from town. Here is a pair of caves, one high and wide with an entrance through which one can barely pass, and the other long and narrow with stream of water running along its base. It is believed that Rama and Lakshmana held court in latter cave, which has two natural throne-like rocks.

It is situated in the valley of Devangana. Sacred caves related to Lord Rama.

Temples in Panchmukhi Hanuman Dhara

Located on a rock-face several hundred feet up a steep hillside 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 Chitrakut.

Bharath Koop is where Bharata stored holy water collected from all the places of pilgrimage in India. It is small, an isolated spot a few kilometres from the town. It has a small well and temple situated next to it. The water in the well remains pure and clean round the year. The story goes, that Bharatji came to Chitrakoot to convince Shri Ram to come back to Ayodhya, after the death of King Dasharath, to ask Shri Ram to become king of Ayodhya and rule it, thus creating Ram-Rajya. For this purpose, he also bought the waters of five rivers along with him to do Lord Shri Ram's coronation. But, Lord Ram told Bharath that he does not wish to break his vow given to King Dasharath of coming back to Ayodhya only after completing Vanvas of 14 years. Hence, Bharath asked rishi Vashisht how to use the 5 rivers water that he brought along with him for Lord Ram's Rajya Abhishek. Rishi Vashisht advised him to put all the water along with flowers he had got for Rajya-abhishek in a well specified near Chitrakoot. He explained that the water in this well will remain pure and will be revered till the end of the time. Hence, upon the advice of rishi Vashisht, king Bharath followed his instructions and thus this place was named as Bharath koop.

This place is located on the way between Chitrakoot and Bharat Koop, in an isolated location. According to Ramayana, this is the place where Shri Ram, Sitaji and Laxmanji 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 imprints popularly believed to be those of Shri Rama, Lakshman, and Sita Mata.