India is celebrating the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram in Ayodhya temple. Jhansi also celebrated the occasion with utmost fervour. Many devotees flocked to the temple for their first darshan of Lord Rama. It goes on to show the faith Indians share when it comes to Ram and Ramayana. 

Jhansi is lucky to be placed in a region which is quite close to very important places associated with Ram. If you are a devotee and want to experience the spiritual feeling of being at a place where Ram once visited, here is a list of places near Jhansi. 

Ayodhya 

Is the birthplace of Lord Ram. It is certain that everyone of you ultimately wants to visit the most important place of them all, hence this has to be on the top. Ayodhya is only 450 Kms from Jhansi which can be covered between 7-8 hours on road. But if you are not comfortable travelling by road you  may also get there by train. There are many trains available between Jhansi and Ayodhya. Here is a screenshot of list of trains for your reference. This chart is subject to changes please cross-verify before planning.  It takes around 10 hours (depending on the train ) to reach Ayodhya. 

Places to visit in Ayodhya 

Ramkot - The temple site 

The original site of Fortress of Ayodhya. Within this site is the holy birthplace of Lord Rama (Bedi). This site was attacked and desecrated by Babur in a series of attacks on Hindu structures in Northern India.  Later on a Mosque was elevated by the commander of the Mughal army by the name Babri Masjid. Temple is now open for public visit from 23 January 2024, although the temple will be completed by 2025. 

Nageshwarnath Temple 

This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is believed to have been built by the son of Lord Ram, Kush. 

Mani Parbat 

This is a hillock with a very interesting mythical connection with Ramayana. It is said that Hanuman dropped a part of the hill he was carrying to save Laxman’s life who had fallen in the war with Meghnath. It is also visited by Buddhist pilgrims. 

Treta ke Thakur 

This place holds high spiritual and religious regards. It is considered that at this very place Lord Rama performed the Ashwamedha Yajna. Idols placed here are very old and have a historical significance of their own. 

Hanuman Garhi 

Hanuman Garhi is revered by people as this is the place believed to be residence for Hanuman when he was guarding Ram Janmabhoomi. 

Chitrakoot

The significance of this place is associated with Lord Rama to the time when he was just in the beginning of his 14 years of Vanwaas (living in forest) on the order of his father King Dashrath. This was the place where Bharat (brother of Ram) visited him to persuade him to discontinue this tough obstinance and return to Ayodhya. He also informed Rama about the demise of his father on this very place. He performed the last rights of his father here. 

When Ram refused to return, Bharat took his Paduka (sandal) on his head as a representation of his brother to be placed on his throne, for the time he ruled on behalf of Ram. 

Distance between Jhansi and Chitrakoot dham is about 294 Km by road. Average time to complete this journey is 4 hours. You can also book a train ticket. The train options available are given in the following screenshot from indianrailinfo.com ( subject to changes) 

Places to visit in Chitrakoot

Ram Ghat 

Situated on the banks of river Mandakini, is considered to be the place where Lord Ram, Sita and Laxman had a detailed discussion with Maharishi Goswami Tulsidas. This place gets very busy at times. It is a spiritual experience of great pleasure of having a holy dip which the excited chants for Ram.You may also enjoy a boat ride also. 

Bharat Milap Mandir

As the name suggests this is the place where Lord Ram and Bharat met on the course of Vanwaas. This is place which is located on Kamdagiri. 

Gupt Godavari Caves

These caves are located near Chitrakoot and have amazing carvings. They have natural seats for Rama and Lakshman, and a water stream from a tank (called Sitakund) runs through one of them.
 

Orchha 

Just like Ayodhya is at the core of spirituality which stems from Ramayana, Orchha is the place where devotion and sentiments transcends the need of being ever touched by Ram himself. 

Orchha also celebrated the Pran Pratistha of Ram Lalla. The event at Orchha was attended by CM Mohan Yadav  and  ex-CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The live streaming of the lord Rama idol was shown there as well. Around 100 thousand pilgrims came to Orchha for the event.

Raja Ram Temple 

You will be astonished to know the story behind this temple.  It used to be the palace of Queen Ganeshkuwari, the wife of King Madhukar Shah. She was a devout devotee of Lord Ram and she went to Ayodhya to bring back an idol of her beloved deity.

She planned to place the idol in the Chaturbhuj temple, which she had ordered to be built for this purpose. But while the temple was under construction, she kept the idol in her palace and worshipped it there. When the temple was ready, she tried to move the idol but it refused to budge! It seemed that Lord Ram had chosen her palace as his abode. So, the palace became a temple and the queen became his servant.

The Ram Raja Temple is also unique in another way. It is the only temple in India where Lord Ram is worshipped as a king and not just a god. He is given royal honours and salutes with guns every day. The temple is a symbol of the love and devotion of Queen Ganeshkuwari and the grace and glory of Lord Ram.

If you liked this information please continue reading our blogs on the related topics about Jhansi.