Chitrakoot, the holy mountain of wonders, is a place in sylvan surroundings with the mystic beauty triggering your curiosity to explore the “Hill of Many Wonders”. Actually, it is believed to have served as an asylum for Lord Rama and His consort Sita for over a decade, exactly 11 years and a Half during their exile period. Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh is full of amazing surprises.
And Chitrakoot is a place of astounding beauty with mythological connections to the past. Actually, it is in the northern range of the Vindhya Mountains along the banks of the Mandakini River. And the place has another significance: “Ramacharita Manas”, the story based on the epic Ramayana, was written by the sage Tulsidas after performing a long period of penance. Ultimately, the magical allure and the secretive aspects of this place attract large numbers of tourists and devotees.
Places to visit in Chitrakoot:
First of all, the Ram Ghat, the most sacred of all the places in Chitrakoot, welcomes you with the presence of saints and sages everywhere, making this place more sanctimonious. Taking a dip in the Ram Ghat and taking part in the evening Aarthi will for sure awaken your cosmic consciousness. Besides this, the tranquil boat ride in the Mandakini River towards the confluence of the three rivers Mandakini, Payaswini and Savitri is a divine experience. Janaki Kund is a separate water body, which is believed to be the place where Sita used to take her bath.
Also, Kamad Giri is another interesting place, which means the mountain that fulfils the wishes and desires. You can see a large number of devotees offering their prayers by the circumambulation for a distance of five Kilometres around the hill. This is called Parikrama.
Chitrakoot – Bathing Ghats
And, places like Bharat Milap Mandhir, Sati Anushya Ashram, Museum, the ancient Ashram of Rishi Atri, Gupt Godavari, Hanuman Dhara, Bharat Koop, Ram Dharshan Mandhir, Sharbhanga Ashram, and Shabari Falls are worth paying a visit to in and around Chitrakoot.
Out of these places, Hanuman Dhara is considered to be very sacred. After climbing around 600 steps, you can reach the Hanuman Temple situated atop the hillock. The uninterrupted water falling on the Hanuman idol makes you surprised. This place symbolises the belief that Hanuman landed here after his visit to Sri Lanka, with the hundreds of monkeys wandering across the region trying to grab everything from the visitors.
Basically, Chitra means beautiful painting, and koot means mountain. Chitrakoot boasts the beauty of dense forests, divine temples, and wonderful waterfalls, amazing every visitor with a lot of stories told and retold. Eventually, one word to describe the experience of visiting Chitrakoot is “Peaceful”.
Kajuraho is the nearest airport at a distance of 175 km from Chitrakoot. Varanasi is yet another option. From the railway station at Karvi Dham, Chitrakoot is only 8km away. By surface, the place is well connected to Allahabad, Satna, Jhansi and Lucknow. See it to believe it, yes, this is very true when you enjoy the blissful beauty and are amazed at the mysteries of this place of wonders, Chitrakoot!
