Ram Van Gaman Path is the path that

Lord Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda'' ...

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

and

Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...

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

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

and ends at

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. This path is much revered in the

Hindu religion Hinduism () is an umbrella term for a range of Indian religious and spiritual traditions ( ''sampradaya''s) that are unified by adherence to the concept of ''dharma'', a cosmic order maintained by its followers through rituals and right ...

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

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

, Lord Rama through his wandering years traveled from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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 ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, 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 ...

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

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.

Uttar Pradesh

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

* Sultanpur * Pratapgrah *

Prayagraj Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

* Chitrakoot

Chhattisgarh

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

Koriya Korea State, currently spelt as Koriya, was a Rajput princely state in the Empire of India. After Indian independence in 1947, the ruler of Korea acceded to the Union of India on 1 January 1948, and Koriya was made part of Surguja Distric ...

) * Ramgarh ( Surguja) *

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. Ramayana Shivrinarayan has a signi ...

( 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 Chh ...

) *

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 also ...

(

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 Chhattisgar ...

) *

Jagdalpur Jagdalpur is a city located in the southern part of Chhattisgarh state in India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Bastar district and Bastar division. Before the independence of India, it also served as the capital of the erstw ...

( Bastar) * Ramaram (

Sukma Sukma is a town in Sukma district in Chhattisgarh, India. Geography The coordinates for Sukma are with 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 t ...

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. It is the meeting point of the Vindhya and the Satpura Ranges, with the ...

(

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 . Geography Shahdol is Located on . It has an average eleva ...

) *

Satna Satna is a city in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of Satna district. It is 7th largest city and List of cities in Madhya Pradesh by population, 8th most populous city of the s ...

Maharashtra

Ramtek Ramtek is a city and municipal council in Nagpur district of Maharashtra, India. Religious significance Ramtek hosts a historic temple of Rama. It is believed that Ramtek was the place where Rama, the Hindu god, rested while he was in exile, ...

Nasik Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari River, Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai. Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sit ...

Tuljapur Tuljapur is a town with a municipal council in Dharashiv District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative seat of Tuljapur taluka. Tuljapur is the location of the annual Tulja Bhavani fair during Navaratri, i.e., in the mon ...

* Naldurg

Karnataka

Hampi Hampi or Hampe (), also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the town of Hampi in Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India. Hampi predates the Vijayanagara Empire; it is menti ...

* Ramagiri * Halu Rameshwara * Sureban(near Belgaum) where Rama met Shabari

Andhra Pradesh/Telangana

Bhadrachalam Bhadrachalam is a census town in Bhadradri Kothagudem district in the Indian state of Telangana. It is an important Hindu pilgrimage town with the Bhadrachalam Temple of Rama, situated on the banks of Godavari River. It is located east of sta ...

Lepakshi Lepakshi is a village in the Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located east of Hindupur and approximately west of Kadiri and north of Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in Ind ...

* Parnasala *

Ramagundam Ramagundam is a city under Ramagundam Municipal Corporation, municipal corporation in Peddapalli district of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the most populous city in the district and falls under t ...

* Kaleswaram * Keesaragutta(near Hyderabad)

Tamilnadu

* Thirunangur *

Rameshwaram Rameswaram (; also transliterated as Ramesvaram, Rameshwaram) is a municipality in the Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about from ...

Dhanushkodi Dhanushkodi is an abandoned town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is south-east of Pamban and is about west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. The town was destroyed during the 1964 Rameswaram cy ...

Ram Setu Adam's Bridge, also known as Rama's Bridge or ''Rama Setu'', is a chain of natural limestone shoals between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island, off the northwest ...

Sri Lanka

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 Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

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), popularly known as Kaka, is an Indian politician who served as the third Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh from 2018 to 2023. He has been the president of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee, Chhattisgarh ...

, "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