Ramayana

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THE HOLY RAMAYANA

In Kerala Ramayana month begins on 1st karadakam (17th july 2003). In almost all

hindu families one will read the Holy Ramayana and other members will listen the

same. The climate during the period is almost rainy and many people will not

have any work and it is also considered as a month for preventive treatment.

Elaborate arrangemets will be made in the temples to read ramayana and preach

the mesage.

The Ramayana (The Journey of Rama) is perhaps the world's oldest literature.

Cherished throughout India and Asia for millennia, it has been faithfully

preserved and passed on in varied forms of popular expression—epic poems, folk

tales, music, dance, drama, puppet shows, sculpture, painting, even films and

comic books. Its story and characters have captured the hearts and minds of

countless generations.

Despite its huge popularity in Eastern cultures, and even though it is

recognized by many Western scholars as a literary masterpiece, most people in

the West have never heard of Ramayana.

The story of Lord Rama is both a spellbinding adventure and a work of profound

philosophy, offering answers to life's deepest questions. It tells of another

time when gods and heroes walked among us, facing supernatural forces of evil

and guided by powerful mystics and sages.

Revered throughout the ages for it's moral and spiritual wisdom, it is a

beautiful and uplifting tale of romance and high adventure, recounting the

odyssey of Rama, a great king of Ancient India. Rama, along with his beautiful

wife, Sita, and faithful brother Lakshmana, is exiled to the forest for

fourteen years, where Sita is kidnapped by the powerful demon Ravana. Along

with his brother Lakshmana and a fantastic army of supernatural creatures, Rama

embarks on a perilous quest to find his beloved Sita.

The Lord Himself says in Ramayana, "If one surrenders unto Me sincerely, saying,

`My Lord, from this day I am fully surrendered unto You,' I always give him

protection. That is My vow.” Since the ultimate benefit of hearing the Ramayana

is increased faith in Lord Rama, everyone will want to read this important book.

 

HOLY PLACES IN RAMAYANA

Ayodhya

 

Lord Rama was born and had many of His pastimes here. It is a very holy city and

is an important pilgrimage site. It is said to have once had the perimeter of 96

miles and was the capital of Koshala.

It is on the banks of the Gogra (Saryu) River, bathing in which is supposed to

destroy even the sin of killing a brahmin.

Ram Janmabhoomi

Rama Janmabhoomi is where Lord Rama is said to have taken birth. There is a

small Lord Rama Temple here. At this location there used to be the Babri

Mosque, constructed in the 15th century by the Moghuls. The mosque was

destroyed in 1992, and at the present time there are plans to build a grand

Rama Temple here.

Guptar Ghat

At Guptar Ghat there are some nice temples, and nearby there is a nice park.

Gupta means disappearance. It is said that Lord Rama disappeared at this spot.

The three temples in the area are called Gupta Harji, Chakra Harji Vishnu and

the Raja Mandir. In the Cakra Harji Vishnu Temple there is an imprint of Lord

Rama’s feet.

Other Places to See

There are over 100 temples in Ayodhya. Janma Sthana is where Lord Rama is said

to have been brought up.

 

There is a popular temple dedicated to Hanuman called Hanuman-gadhi. It is

located right by the main road where the tempos from Faizabad stop. Kanak

Bhavan, (picture of Dieties - left) which is an interesting temple, and Kala

Rama Temple, by the river, both have Deities of Sita-Rama.

There is a nice area by the river surrounding Laksman Ghat. Laksman, the brother

of Rama, is said to have bathed at Laksman Ghat

Vasistha Kund is a temple with a small round kund like a well.

Rama is said to have performed a yajna (saccrifice) at Treta Ka Mandir. There

are Sita-Rama Deities in this temple.

Kaushalya, the mother of Rama, is said to have established the Kshireswara Natha Temple for Sita.

Bharata Kund, at Nandigram, 20 km from Ayodhya, is said to be the place where

Bharata ruled while Rama was in exile for 14 years.

One half km north of Janmabhoomi is Swarga Dwara or Rama Ghat, which is an important bathing ghat.

 

 

Rameswaram

There are four dhamas, or kingdoms of God, which are Badrinath, Jagannath Puri,

Rameswaram and Dwaraka. Rameswaram is located at the southeastern end of the

Indian Peninsula. Rameswaram is on an island, which is the shape of a conch

shell, in the Gulf of Mannar. The island is sanctified by the footprints of

Lord Rama. It is said that Lord Rama bathed at Dhanushkodi, where the Bay of

Bengal and the Indian Ocean meet.

There is a major Lord Shiva temple here called the Ramanathaswami Temple. This

name indicates that Lord Shiva is a great personality, whose worshipable Deity

is Lord Rama. This temple is very popular.

Temple Story

It is said that the Siva-linga in the the Ramanathaswami Temple was installed by

Sri Rama on His return to the mainland from the island of Lanka, after killing

Ravana. Rama wanted to install a Siva-linga in Rameswaram to absolve Himself of

the sin of killing Ravana, who was a brahmin. Rama sent Hanuman to Mount Kailash

to get the linga. Since Hanuman was late when the auspicious time for

installation neared, Sita made a Siva-linga out of sand. This linga was then

installed by Rama and is known as the Rama-linga, because it was installed by

Lord Rama.

At the time Hanuman came with the Siva-linga from Mount Kailash, he was

disappointed to find a linga already installed. Rama told Hanuman that he could

remove the linga made by Sita and install the one He brought in its place.

Hanuman took hold of the linga with his hands and could not move it. He then

wrapped his tail around it and tried to pull the linga out, but it did not

move. The linga is said to still have the marks of Hanuman’s tail on it. To

pacify Hanuman, Rama had the linga he brought, the Viswa-linga, installed

alongside the Rama-linga. He ordered that puja (worship) be performed first to

the Viswa-linga, which is still being done today.

Gandhamadhana Parvatham

This two-story temple is on a small hilltop, about 2.5km northwest of the

Ramanathaswami Temple. There is a set of Lord Rama’s footprints on a Chakra

here and the small Ramjharoka Temple. There is a good view of the island from

here. The place is called Vedaranyam. It is said that Hanuman made his great

leap to Lanka from here.

Kothandaramswami Temple

There are Deities of Sri Rama, Sita, Laksman, Hanuman and Vibhisana here. It is

said that Vibhisana, Ravana’s brother, surrendered to Lord Rama at this place.

A series of paintings inside the temple tells the story. In 1964 a cyclone

wiped out everything in the surrounding area. The only thing left was the

temple. It is located about 8 km from the southernmost tip of the island going

toward Dhanushkodi.

Dhanushkodi

This is the place where the bay meets the ocean. Pilgrims are supposed to bathe

in the small lagoon here called Ratnakara. This is a place to offer sraddha to

the ancestors. It is especially auspicious to bathe here in May.

Dhanushkodi is about 20km southeast of Rameswaram. It is said that Lord

Ramachandra destroyed a small bridge with His bow here due to the request of

Vibhisana.

Darbha Sayanam and Adi Jagannatha Temple

Darbha Sayanam (Tirupallani, Pullanranyam) is where Sri Rama observed penance,

lying on darbha grass here for three days. It is said that Adi Jagannatha

appeared before Him, gave him the weapon called Divya Chapa, and blessed Him

with success.

Five km south of Darbha Sayanam at Adi Setu is the Adi Jagannatha Temple. The

Deity of Sri Vishnu here is in a reclining posture on Sesa Naga. It is said

that King Dasaratha, the father of Rama, came here to pray for a child, when

all his wives were childless. Hindu couples still visit this temple to pray for

children. The place where Lord Rama built His bridge is not far from here.

It is said that at the coastal town of Devi Patnam (Navapashanam) Lord Rama put

nine stones standing upright in the shallow bay. They are supposed to represent

the nine planets that He worshiped for success.

Other Places

There are many pastime places connected with the Ramayana in the area. There is

a temple near the bridge that you cross to enter Rameswaram where there is a

floating rock. When Lord Rama went to Lanka with the monkey army, they crossed

the ocean on a bridge of floating rocks. Near this temple, close to the bridge,

is Lakshman Teertham and Rama Teertham. Lord Rama is said to have bathed in

these two tanks. Kodi Teertham is supposed to be a spring that Lord Rama

created by shooting an arrow into the ground.

It is said that at Jata Teertham, Sri Rama washed His hair to get rid of any

sins that He might have incurred in the battle at Lanka

 

Hampi (Vijayanagar)

 

Hampi was once the capital of the powerful Vijayanagar Empire, which for two

centuries was one of the most powerful empires in Indian history. Vijayanagar

means “the city of victory”. It was considered at one time greater than Rome

and “the best provided city in the world”. At its height, half a million people

lived in the city, and the Vijayanagar Empire had an army of over one million.

This place is said to be where Lord Rama first met Hanuman. It is also said to

be the spot where Parvati (known as Hampi) met and married Lord Shiva.

Kishkindha

The town of Anegundi, about 5 km from Hampi, is situated on the north bank of

the Tungabhadra River. Local people believe this to be the ancient place known

as Kishkindha, where Rama met Hanuman and Sugriva. Also by Hampi is the

Rsimukha Mountain mentioned in the Ramayana.

The ancient place, Kishkindha, was ruled by monkey-chiefs – two brothers,

Sugriva and Vali. After a quarrel with Vali, Sugriva along with Hanuman were

driven out. They then went to stay at Matanga-parvata Hill. You can get a good

view of the surrounding area from the top of this hill. While searching for

Sita, who had been kidnapped by Ravana, Rama and Laksman came south and met

Sugriva and Hanuman. Rama killed Vali and restored the kingdom to Sugriva.

While Hanuman went to search for Sita, it is said that Rama stayed at

Malyavanta Hill, which is on the road to Kampili, about 6 km east of the

Virupaksha Temple. There is a Ranganatha Temple there with a large Deity of

Lord Rama.

On the way between Virupaksha Temple and Vitthala Temple there is a cave on the

bank of the Tungabhadra where Sugriva is said to have hidden Sita’s jewels for

safety. There are marks and streaks on the rocks, which are said to have been

made by Sita’s garments.

There is a huge mound of scorched ash in the nearby village of Nimbapuram that

is said to be the cremated remains of Vali. The birthplace of Hanuman is said

to be a little to the northwest.

Other Places to See

The Hazara Rama Temple (one thousand Ramas) is believed to have been a private

temple for the royal family and was originally called Hajana Rama, which in

Telegu means the “palace temple”. It was originally dedicated to Lord Rama in

the 15th century and contains many interesting sculptures of scenes from the

Ramayana on the walls. It is no longer an active temple.

>From the Virupaksha Temple of Lord Shiva along the path on the river bank toward

the Vitthala Temple, there is a natural cavern marked with painted stripes where

Sugriva is said to have hidden the jewels that Sita dropped after Ravana

abducted her.

At the Kodandaram (bow-bearing Rama) Temple there are large Deities of Sita Rama

and Laksman. It is opposite the bathing ghat. This is said to be the place where

Rama crowned Sugriva as the monkey king.

The very ornate 16th century, Vitthala Temple is dedicated to Lord Vitthala,

after the Deity in Pandhapur. It is on the southern bank of the Tungbhadra. It

has musical pillars, which make different sounds when struck. It is considered

to be the most outstanding temple in Hampi.

The Virabhadra Temple is at Matanga Hill, where Lord Rama is said to have stayed.

 

 

 

Nasik

 

Nasik is a holy city located about 5 hours northeast of Bombay (187km). Lord

Rama stayed here for some time during His exile and Sita was carried off by

Ravana from this place. Nasik is on the banks of the Godavari river, which

flows to the bay of Bengal. Laxman the younger brother of Rama cut off the

nose of Surnapaka, the younger sister of Ravana here. That is why this place

has the name Nasik. Kumba Mela takes place here every 12 years. Sri Caitanya

visited here.

The Rama Kunda area is the main pilgrimage place in Nasik. This is where Rama

and Sita used to bathe, so the tank is considered especially sacred. It is

also called Asthi Vilaya Tirtha (Bone Immersion Tank) because bones dropped

here dissolve. In recent years the following people's bones were dropped in

the Tirtha after they died: Mahatma Ghandi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Rajendra

Prasad and many other famous people. Lord Rama is said to have performed

funeral rites in memory of His father King Dasaratha.

 

 

Chitrakut

 

Lord Rama and Sita are said to have stayed in the forest here during Their 14

year exile. Chitrakut is by the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh,

due south of Lucknow. It is 132 km south of Allahabad.Lord Rama and Sita lived

here for 11 years of Their 14 year exile. Citra literally means "beautiful" and

kut means "mountain" so it means "the beautiful mountain".

Bharat the brother of Rama, came to Chitrakut and begged Rama to return to

Ayodhya, but Rama would not disobey His father's order. Rama stayed on

Kamadgiri, which means the hill which can fulfill all desires.Lord Rama would

daily bathe in the river here. Sita's footprints are said to be on the rocks

at Janaki Kund, where Sita took bath.