Bundelkhand

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Chitrakoot
Chitrakoot is a town and a nagar panchayat in Satna district in the state of Madhya
Pradesh, India. It is a town of religious, cultural, historical and archaeological importance, situated in
the Bundelkhand region. It borders the Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh, whose headquarters
Chitrakoot Dham (Karwi) is located nearby. The town lies in the historical Chitrakoot region, which is
divided between the present-day Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is known for
a number of temples and sites mentioned in Hindu scriptures.
Many people gather here on each Amavasya. Somwati Amavasyas, Deepawali, Sharad-
Poornima, Makar Sankranti and Ramanavami are special occasions for such gatherings and
celebrations. It attracts crowds throughout the year including above occasions and for Free Eye
Hospital Camps. Noted 'Ayurvedic' and 'Yoga' centres like 'Arogyadham' are located in Chitrakoot.
Chitrakoot, "the hills of many wonders" is indeed a gift of nature and the gods. Located in the
Banda district of modern Uttar Pradesh (U.P), on the banks of river Paisuni (Mandakini), Chitrakoot is
a tranquil retreat on the northern spur of the Vindhyas. Just 6 km south of Karvi and 72 km south east
of Banda district on the road to Allahabad, Chitrakoot Dham is one of the most ancient holy pilgrim
places of India. Legends have it that it was the abode of Lord Rama, his wife Sita and brother
Lakshman for eleven years of their fourteen years of exile. This is also the place, where they came in
contact with sage Atri and sati Anasuya.This abode of the gods is credited to have seen the
incarnations of Brahma,Vishnu and Mahesh. Chitrakoot ,sacred with the touch of Lord's feet, was
where Goswami Tulsidas, the creator of the epic "Shri Ramcharitmanas" spent many years of his life.
Dotted with innumerable temples and shrines, nature's splendor here is wrapped in peace and
tranquillity, permeated only by singing birds and gushing streams.
Area: 38.2 sq. km.
Population: 37494 (1991 census)
Altitude: 207 mitres. Above sea level
Season: July-March
Clothing (summer): Light Cottons (Winter): Woollens
Language: Hindi, Bundeli, English
Local Transport: Cycle Rickshaw during fairs and festivals, taxis also ply between Chitrakoot,
Rajapur and Karvi.
Languages and Dialects
Bundeli, also called Bundelkhand, is the main language of Bundelkhand. However, there is
much local variation.
In Banda and Chitrakoot districts, though the main language is called Bundeli, it is actually a
‘Bagheli variety of eastern Hindi influenced by Bundeli’, noted the Banda district gazetteer.
The gazetteer of Jhansi district noted that `from tehsil to tehsil’, there are changes in the way
Bundeli is spoken, in the form of the verb, the forms of adverbs and of some nouns and pronouns.
Local dialects and sub-dialects are known as Tirhani (Tirhari), Gahora, Jurar, Aghari, etc. In
the western portion of Hamirpur district, a peculiar speech form known as Lodhiyon ki boli is used.
There are several such variations, which make conversation between local people of different
districts quite difficult.
Hindi is the lingua franca in urbanized areas, and among educated people. All local and
regional newspapers are in Hindi.
Urdu is spoken by around 5% of the population in Banda, Jalaun and Hamirpur districts.
References
 Uttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Banda. Lucknow, Govt. of UP: 1977
 Uttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Jhansi. Lucknow, Govt. of UP: 1965

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Places to visit
Kamadgiri
A forested hill of prime religious significance, this is believed to be the original Chitrakoot. The
Bharat Milap Temple is located here. Pilgrims perform a ritual circumambulation of the hill to seek
blessings.
Sphatik Shila
This picturesque spot is marked by two immense rocks. It is believed to be the place where
Lord Rama and Sita feasted their eyes on the beauty of Chitrakoot.
Hanuman Dhara
Located on a steep hillside, it is approachable by a flight of 360 steps. Here, the waters of a
natural spring cascade over an image of Lord Hanuman.
Ram Ghat
On the banks of the River Mandakini, and centre of ritual activity, this Ghats is the most
frequented in Chitrakoot. The "Aarti" performed in the evening is particularly beautiful.
Janki Kund
An unusual cave over the Mandakini, Said to be the place where Sita bathed.
Excursion
Gupt Godavari
19 km. This is a tiny rivulet which flows into tanks at the end of an underground cave. The
source of this rivulet remains unfathomable. Two natural throne-line rocks in the cave have led to the
belief that Lord Rama and his brother Laxman held court here.
Bharat Koop
To attain Salvation, the pilgrimage to Chitrakoot is incomplete without a visit to this hallowed
place of worship. It is said that, to crown Lord Rama as the king of Ayodhya, his brother Bharat,
collected the waters of all sacred rivers to anoint him with. On the advice of Sage Atri, the waters
were later poured into a deep well popularly known as Bharat Koop. A temple dedicated to Lord
Rama is also found here.
Sati Anasuya
13 km. It was here that Atri Muni, his wife Anasuya and their three sons meditated. An
ashram in Anasuya's name is located here. It is believed that the Mandakini River emerged as a result
of Anasuya's meditation.
Ganeshbagh
11km. On the Karvi-Devangana road near Bankey Siddhapur village, is located Ganeshbagh,
where a richly carved temple, a seven storeyed baoli and ruins of a presidential palace still exist. The
complex was built by Peshwa Vinayak Rao as a summer retreat and is often referred to as a mini-
Khajuraho.
Kalinjar
88 km. From Chitrakoot lies the invincible Fort of Kalinjar. Once desired by kings & dynasties,
it houses within itself the Nilkanth temple, Swarga Rohan Kund, Vakhandeshwar Mahadev Temple,

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Shivasari Ganga & Koti Tirth. Other interesting spots within the fort area are Sita Sej, Patal Ganga,
Pandu Kund, Budhi-Tall, Bhairon Ki Jharia and Mrigdhara.
Sitapur
Lying on the left bank of Payaswani about 8 km. From Karvi, it is intimately connected with
the sacred hills of Kamtanath, which is 2 km to its south – west. Pilgrims first bathe in payaswani at
Sitapur and then move on to do the Parikrama of Kamtanath hill. Originally known as Jaisinghpur, it
was given to Mahant Charandas by Aman Singh Raja of Panna, who gave it the new name Sitapur in
honour of maa Sita. There are twenty four Ghats and several temples along the river, which add to
the glory of the town.
Rajapur
42 km from Chitrakoot, this place is believed to be the birth place of Goswami Tulsidas. A
Tulsi Mandir is situated here.
Marpha
4 km from Gupt Godavari is Marpha, famous for its natural beauty along with waterfalls, Jal
Mochan Sarovar, Shri Balaji mandir, 5 faced statue of Lord Shankar and ruins of a fort, believed to be
built by Chandel Rajas.
Accessibility
Air
From Chitrakoot the nearest airport is Khajuraho: 185 km.
Rail
The nearest railway station for Chitrakoot is Karvi: 8 km. Some of the major trains are
1181.1182 and 1159/1160 Agra Howrah Exp); 1107/1108 Bundelkhand Exp; 1449/1450 Mahakaushal
Exp (Kutub Exp_; 5009/5010 Chitrakoot Exp (Lucknow-Jabalpur); 1069/1070 Tulsi Exp (Allahabad-
Mumbai), Bundelkhand Exp (Gwalior-Allahabad).
Road
Chitrakoot is well connected by road. There are regular bus services to Banda, Allahabad,
Jhansi, Varanasi, Chhatarpur, Satna, Kanpur, Faizabad, Lucknow, Agra, Maihar, etc. Some Road
distances are: Allahabad - 125 km. Satna - 75 km. Lucknow - 285 km, Mahoba - 127 km, Kalinjar 88
km, Jhansi 274 km.
Geography
Chitrakoot means the 'Hill of many wonders'. Chitrakoot falls in the northern Vindhya
Range of mountains spread over the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The Chitrakoot
region is included in the District Chitrakoot of Uttar Pradesh and the District Satna of Madhya
Pradesh. Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh was created on 4 September 1998.
Chitrakoot Parvat Mala includes Kamad Giri, Hanuman Dhara, Janki Kund, Lakshman pahari,
and Devangana famous Religious Mountains.
History
Chitrakoot spiritual legacy stretches back to legendary ages. It was in these deep forests
that Rama, Sita and his brother Lakshmana spent eleven and half years of their fourteen years of
exile, the grest sage Atri, Sati, Dattatreya, Maharshi Markandeya, Sarbhanga, Sutikshna and various
other sages, seers, devotees and thinkers meditated, and here the principal trinity of the Hindu
pantheon, Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, took their incarnations. It is said that all the gods and
goddesses came to Chitrakoot when Rama performed the Shraddha ceremony of his father to

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partake of the shuddhi. The first known mention of the place is in the Valmiki Ramayana, which is
believed to be the first ever Mahakavya composed by the first ever poet. As Valmiki is said to be
contemporaneous with Rama and is believed to have composed the Ramayana before the birth of
Rama, the antiquity of its fame can well be gauged.
Valmiki speaks of Chitrakoot as an eminently holy place inhabited by the great sages,
abounding in monkeys, bears and various other kinds of fauna and flora. Both the
sages Bharadwaja and Valmiki speak of Chitrakoot in glowing terms and advise Rama to make it his
abode during the period of his exile. Lord Rama himself admits this bewitching impact of this place. In
the 'Ramopakhyana' and descriptions of teethes at various places in the Mahabharata, Chitrakoot
finds a favoured place. In 'Adhyatma Ramayana' and 'Brihat Ramayana' testify to the throbbing
spiritually and natural beauty of Chitrakoot. Various Sanskrit and Hindi poets also have paid similar
tributes to Chitrakoot. Mahakavi Kalidas has described this place beautifully in his epic
'Raghuvansha'. He was so much impressed with its charms that he made Chitrakoot the place of exile
of his yaksha in Meghdoot.
Tulsidas, the saint-poet of Hindi has spoken very reverently of this place in all his major
works-Ramcharit Manas, Kavitawali, Dohawali and Vinaya Patrika. The last-mentioned work contains
many verses which show a deep personal bond between Tulsidas and Chitrakoot. He spent quite
some part of his life here worshipping Rama and craving his darshan. It was here that he had what he
must have considered the crowning moment of his achievements. the darshan of his beloved deity
Lord Ram at the intercession of Hanuman. His eminent friend, the noted Hindi poet Rahim also spent
some time here, when he had fallen from favour with Akbar's son Emperor Jahangir.
Rama left Chitrakoot
When Bharata was asked by his ministers to take his seat upon the throne of Ayodhya, he
refused and came to Chitrakoot to meet Lord Rama. Here at place called Bharat Milap, Bharata met
Lord Rama and requested him to return to Ayodhya and rule; but Lord Rama would not. Then Bharata
returned to Ayodhya and installed the sandals on the throne, and, living in retirement, carried on the
government as their minister. Now Lord Rama decided for two reasons to leave Chitrakoot: first,
inasmuch as hosts of rakshasas, out of hatred of him, annoyed the hermits of that place; and,
secondly, because the host of men from Ayodhya had trampled and defiled the place; and, moreover,
it reminded him too sharply of brother's grief and the citizens' and queen-mothers'. He went, therefore,
with Sita and Lakshmana toward Dandaka forest.
Demographics
As of 2001 India census, Chitrakoot had a population of 22,294. Males constitute 57% of the
population and females 43%. Chitrakoot has an average literacy rate of 50%, lower than the national
average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 63% and female literacy of 34%. 18% of the population is
under 6 years of age.
Ramghat
The Ghats that line the Mandakini River are called Ramghat. Here, amidst the chanting
hymns and the sweet fragrance of incense, holy men in saffron sit in silent meditation or offer the
solace of their wisdom to the countless pilgrims who converge here. The evening arti here witnesses
a deep and abiding faith in the sanctity of Chitrakoot. During the exile period Rama, Lakshmana and
Sita took bath here and believed to have appeared before the poet Tulsidas. Tulsidas has expressed
that historical and religious incidence in the following metre in Hindi.
Kamadgiri
Kamadgiri, the original Chitrakoot, is a place of prime religious significance. A forested hill, it
is skirted all along its base by a chain of temples and is venerated today as the holy embodiment of
Rama. Lord Rama is also known as Kamadnathji which literally means fulfiller of all wishes. ‘Contact:

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Bharat Milap
Bharat Milap temple is located here, marking the spot where Bharata is said to have met
Rama to persuad him to return to the throne of Ayodhya. It is said that the meeting of four brothers
was so emotional that even the rocks and mountains of Chitrakoot melted. Foot prints of Lord Rama
and his brothers were imprinted on these rocks and are still present today and seen in Bharat Milap
Mandir.
Janaki Kund
Janaki Kund is situated upstream of the Ramghat where it is believed that Sita bathed in the
crystal clear waters of Mandakini river during the years of her exile with Rama.
Sati Anusuya ashram
Sati Anusuya ashrama is located further upstream, 16 km from the town, set amidst thick
forests that round to the melody of birdsong all day. It was here that Atri muni, his wife Anusuya and
their three sons lived and are said to have meditated. As per description of Valmiki at one time there
was no rain in Chitrakoot for ten years. There was a severe famine and nothing was left to eat or drink
for animals and birds. Sati Anusuya performed hard and intensive austerities and got the river
Mandakini down on earth. This led to the greenery and forests to grow which removed the sufferings
of all sages and the animals. Sati Anusuya ashrama at present is a very peaceful place where
various streams from the hills converge and form the Mandakini River. It is said that Rama along with
Sita had visited this place to meet Maharishi Atri and Sati Anusuya. It is here Sati Anusuya explained
to Sita the grandeur and importance of satitva. The dense forests of Dandaka start from this place. It
was ruled by Ravana. Ravana had appointed strong rakshasas like Khara andViradha as its rulers.
The place was infected by the terror of rakshasas.
Sphatic Shila
A few kilometres beyond Janaki Kund is another densely forested area on the banks of the
Mandakini. One can climb up to the boulder, which bears the Rama's footprint and Sita. It is said that
Lord Rama with his own hands did Shringar of his wife Sita and where Sita was pecked at by Jayant
in the form of crlow.
Gupt-Godavari
Chitrakoot is a place which is strangely situated in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Half
of its area lies in Madhya Pradesh and half of it in Uttar Pradesh. Chitrakoot is though a small
village but is full of mountain and forests. Tourists are also many. There is Valmiki Ashram at a
distance of 25 kilometres from Chitrakoot. Lord Sriram, Lakshman and Sita visited the Ashram of
Valmiki during their vanavaasam and stayed at Chitrakoot. Sati Anasuya mountain is situated at a
distance of 3 kms. This is the tapobhumi of Sage Atri. Mandakini River starts its journey from this
mountain. Sita Ram and Lakshman visited Sage Atri and Anasuya here. Much number of Gods and
Rivers came to Chitrakoot to have a darshan of Lord Rama. River Godavari also went there to visit
him. There are two big caves here from which springs of water come out and formed 7 ponds. Water
flow stops in the seventh pond and becomes invisible – ‘Gupt’. Thus this is called ‘Gupt Godavari’.
Pampapur
It is situated in the valley of Devangana. Here we find sacred caves. Sacred caves related to
Lord Rama.
Hanuman Dhara
Located on a rock-face several hundred feet up a steep hillside is a spring, said to have been
created by Rama to assuage Hanuman when the latter returned after setting Lanka afire. A couple of
temples commemorate this spot, which offers a panoramic view of Chitrakoot.
Bharat Koop
Bharat Koop is where Bharata stored holy water collected from all the places of pilgrimage in
India. It is small, isolated spot a few kilometres from the town.