Ram, the prince of Ayodhya, was exiled for 14 years with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman. But in which part of present-day India did the trio spend most of their exile? The ancient Sanskrit epic mentions the fearsome but breathtaking wilderness of the Dandakaranya forest, which researcher Hemu Yadu says falls mostly in the state of Chhattisgarh. "Lord Ram, Sita Mata and Lakshman spent 10 years of their exile in present-day Chhattisgarh. Ram fought and decimated so many demons who were troubling the rishi-munis in the region," says the 68-year-old archaeologist based in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh.
Yadu has spent the last 20 years of his life tracing a map of the trail Ram, Sita and Lakshman supposedly took in the state during their exile, winding their way through rivers and forests. "There is a mountain in Bastar where Lord Ram killed a whole bunch of demons; their bones accumulated to become a mountain. Even today if you burn the rocks there, an insufferable smell emanates, pointing to evidence that the incident happened there," says Yadu with full conviction, certain that the events described in one of the oldest Indian epics really played out in his home state.
"In Sarguja district, the dead bodies of the demons piled high to become a hill and later transformed itself into a waterfall called the Rakasganda Fall," says Yadu who has identified 75 such spots of interest strewn across the state in what is dubbed as the Ram Van Gaman trail. A former government employee in the anti-corruption bureau, Yadu never failed to take time off to diligently work on his interests in mythology and history, authoring some 27 books along the way. But currently he is most proud of being the originator of the Ram Van Gaman circuit which the Congress state government has converted into an ambitious religio-spiritual tourism project. "I grew up listening to stories about how Lord Ram lived in Chattisgarh from our ancestors, so I decided to find out where all he went and which ashrams he visited. It took me 20 years to convert my 'aastha' into 'vishwas,'" says Yadu whose book Ram Van Gaman Path has become the basis of a Rs 133 crore state tourism project where devotees can visit hotspots related Lord Ram from Koriya to Sukma district.
In the first phase of the tourism project, nine sites will be developed, including Sitamadi-Harchauka in Korea district. Lord Ram, according to research done by Yadu, entered Chhattisgarh from Korea district and Sitamadi-Harchauka in Janakpur of Bharatpur Tehsil is believed to be his first stop in Chhattisgarh.
The Ram Van Gaman Tourism Circuit, an initiative of the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, was officially launched on October 7, with a grand inaugural at the ancient Mata Kaushalya Temple in Chandkhuri, a small village near Raipur. Chandkhuri is believed to be the birthplace of Kaushalya, Ram’s mother, and is considered to be his maternal home. Mata Kaushalya temple is the only temple in the world dedicated to her. The temple was renovated during lockdown at a reported cost of Rs 15.45 crore. A 51-feet-tall statue of Lord Ram has also been erected in the temple premises.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in the presence of the state minister of tourism, home affairs, public works department and other dignitaries inaugurated the renovated Temple as part the new tourism circuit. "It was imperative that the tourists visiting Chhattisgarh from India and abroad should be made aware of the ancient religious heritage of the state in which we take absolute pride. For this purpose, the government envisioned a project to develop the Ram Van Gaman Path as a tourism circuit," said Baghel in a statement. He later joined a hysterical crowd at Parade Ground near the Temple to listen and jive to bhajans on Lord Ram and Krishna sung by attending musicians like Shankar Mahadevan.
Early this year, plans were unveiled to build a 210km Ram Van Gaman Marg in Uttar Pradesh, a highway from Ayodhya to Chitrakoot, a pilgrimage centre in Madhya Pradesh. Last year when CM Baghel inaugurated the renovation work on Kaushalya Mata temple just ahead of the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh on August 5, news reports were quick to point out the "soft Hindutva" approach of the Congress government in the state.
Anbalagan P. Secretary, Tourism, in the government of Chhattisgarh, does not wish to comment on such comparisons. He points to cultural peculiarities in the state where something like the 75-day Bastar Dusherra doesn't even have Ram or Ravan but celebrates goddess Danteswari. "From the very start, this trail is meant to be a projection of Chhattisgarhi culture and to make it an opportunity for tourism to grow in the state. So that is main focus in this entirely that," says Anbalagan, pointing out how these tourism initiatives will help build more homestays in forest areas, transferring ownership to the local, indigenous population.
For Yadu, the tourism project marks the culmination of a long-overdue recognition for Ram and his own pet research." The state of Chhattisgarh has the highest regard for Lord Ram. In fact, nobody says Pranam here in Chhattisgarh when they greet anyone here. They say Ram Ram."
