Ram Van Gaman Path is the path that

Lord Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, '' Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi ...

and

Lakshmana Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja () ...

took during their 'vanvaas' or exile years. It starts from

Ayodhya Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya, also known as Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and setting of the great epic Ramayana. Ayodhy ...

and ends at

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. This path is much revered in the

Hindu religion Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

as various key incidents of Lord Rama’s life have taken place on this path. As per

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages e ...

, Lord Rama through his wandering years traveled from

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

to Sri Lanka. During his ‘vanvaas’ or exile, he was not allowed to stay in any village or town and live his life in a forest. Owing to this, after taking his leave from Ayodhya, Lord Rama wandered through the forests of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . ...

, Chhattisgarh,

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...

, Maharashtra and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

Background

The Ram Janmbhoomi Andolan was a decisive point for the Ram Van Gaman Path. In 1991 the frenzy of this movement influenced the government to take an initiative to chalk out and trace the life and movement of Lord Rama. A total of 248 places have been identified across India with the objective to develop them into places of interest for the travelling populace.

Locations

A total of 248 places have been identified within the nations of India and Sri Lanka that lie on the course of the Ram Van Gaman Path. There is a plan to develop these spots and showcase them as part of the socio-cultural and religious tourism circuit. Below mentioned are some of the most prominent ones.

Ram Van Gaman Path In Uttar Pradesh

A 177 km section of road has been in development in Uttar Pradesh as Ram Van Gaman Marg. The most prominent places to be developed are: *

Prayagraj Allahabad (), List of renamed Indian cities and states, officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut ...

* Sultanpur * Pratapgrah

Ram Van Gaman Path in Chhattisgarh

Nine places in this region have been selected for inclusion in the first phase of development and restoration. They are: *

Sitamarhi Harchowka Sitamarhi is an Indian city and the district headquarters of the Sitamarhi district in the Mithila region of Bihar and is a part of the Tirhut Division. It dates back to the time of Ramayana and is considered as the place where Janaka found Sit ...

( Koriya) * Ramgarh (

Surguja Surguja district is a district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The district is one of the oldest districts of Chhattisgarh. The headquarters of the district is Ambikapur. The district lies in its eponymous Surguja dialectal region (where ...

) *

Shivrinarayan Shivrinarayan also known as Sheorinarayan is a town and a nagar panchayat located at the ''Triveni Dhara'' of Mahanadi, Shivnath and Jonk River in Janjgir-Champa district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Shivrinarayan has a significan ...

( Janjgir-Champa) * Turturia ( Balodabazar) * Chandkhuri (

Raipur Raipur ( ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Raipur is also the administrative headquarters of Raipur district and Raipur division, and the largest city of the state. It was a part of Madhya Pradesh before the state of C ...

) *

Rajim Rajim is a town which is proposed to be in Raipur district but officially in Gariaband district, Chhattisgarh, India. Rajim is named after Rajiv Lochan Mandir which is the Main Hindu Pilgrimage Temple of Rajim dedicated to Vishnu. There is als ...

(

Gariaband Gariaband is a town and a Nagar Palika in Gariaband district in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. It is district headquarter of the Gariaband district. The nearest river that flows to this town is the Pairi River, which is 4 km away from ...

) * Sihava Saptarishi Ashram (

Dhamtari Dhamtari is a municipal corporation and headquarters of the Dhamtari district in the state of Chhattisgarh, India, which is part of the Mahasamund Lok Sabha constituency formed on 6July 1998.. The district is home to 3.13 percent of Chhattis ...

) *

Jagdalpur Jagdalpur is a city in Bastar district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Jagdalpur is the administrative headquarters of Bastar District and Bastar Division. It was earlier the capital of the former princely state of Bastar. It is the ...

( Bastar) * Ramaram (

Sukma Sukma is a town in Sukma district in Chhattisgarh, India. Geography It is located at at an elevation of 210 m above MSL.http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/37/Sukma.html Map and weather of Sukma Location Sukma is connected to Jagdalpur by ...

Ram Van Gaman Path in Madhya Pradesh

The state government of Madhya Pradesh also plans to develop the Ram Van Gaman Path in 3 phases. The following places in Madhya Pradesh are included in this project: * Chitrakoot *

Amarkantak Amarkantak (NLK ''Amarakaṇṭaka'') is a pilgrim town and a Nagar Panchayat in Anuppur, Madhya Pradesh, India. The Amarkantak region is a unique natural heritage area and is the meeting point of the Vindhya and the Satpura Ranges, with the Maik ...

(

Shahdol Shahdol is a city in Shahdol district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Shahdol district, The total geographical area of the district is . Demographics India census A census is the procedure ...

) *

Satna Satna is a city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of Satna district. It is 7th largest city and 8th most populous city of the state. The city is 500 km east of the state capital Bhopal. The city is ...

Ram Van Gaman Path in Sri Lanka

* Lankapuri

Cultural and Religious Significance

In Hinduism, Rama (or Ramachandra) is the seventh avatar of the Hindu god

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...

and one of the most sacred deities. Ramayana is one of the most prolific literatures in Hinduism. The earliest scripture of Ramayana was found to be written approximately between the 7th to 4th centuries BCE. Lord Rama's story is also seen as a key part of Hindu mythology, and is often used to teach moral lessons to masses. The Ram Van Gaman Path is a step towards development of a tourism circuit by leveraging public sentiment and devotion, with major development works spread across the states of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. According to Chhattisgarh's Chief Minister

Bhupesh Baghel Bhupesh Baghel (born 23 August 1960) is an Indian politician serving as the third and current Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. He was president of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress. He has been member of legislative assembly five times from Patan. ...

, "The ambitious project of 'Ram Van Gaman Tourism Circuit' aims to preserve memories linked to Lord Ram’s stay in Chhattisgarh during his exile from Ayodhya". By developing this tourism circuit the Government aims to boost economy, infrastructure, investment and jobs in selected regions.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official site
Hinduism Hinduism and government Tourism in India Chhattisgarh Ramayana