Valmiki Ashram is a significant religious, legendary, and historical monument in Nepal that is within the Chitwan National Park in the Chitwan District. Valmiki Ashram is located in Chitwan District’s Madi Municipality, Ward No. 1. The ashram, which is described in Valmiki’s Ramayana, is located on the Tamasa River’s banks. Tamasa river is now a small brook called Purnabhadra or Tamra bhadra. The ashram is fairly accessible from India. Even though the road to the ashram is unpaved, India has made it quite easy to get there.
Rama, Sita, and Valmiki are among the gods worshiped here. The Rama Navami festival is also observed here. According to Hindu legend, it is the location where Rishi Valmiki resided and penned the Hindu masterpiece Ramayana. Likewise, Valmiki also performed Yajna at this place.
History
The history of Valmiki Ashram is said to be 1.75 million years old. The story is that Sita herself came to Valmiki Ashram to give birth to her son. After she gave birth to two sons, she mastered both of them in archery on the same land. During the training phase, a horse that was left in Ashvamedha Yajna came to Valmiki Ashram. Then, the horse was captivated by Luv-Kush. It is believed that Rama himself came to Ashram to free the horse after he was taken captive by Luv-Kush. Also, Sita gave her life in the same land by handing over LoveKush to Rama. This whole story is written in the
Because of the then-King Mahendra’s interest in this ashram in 2022 BS, the architecture that was constructed at the time has not been renovated. Madi Municipality owns the Valmiki Ashram, which was discovered in 1965 by a combined team of archaeologists from Nepal and India.
Religious and cultural significance
Some of the alive religious sites in Valmiki Ashram include Sita’s underworld entrance, the priceless Gauri Shankar conch, the Havana Dhar historic site, Luv-Kush’s birthplace, Sita’s Silauto, Luv-Kush’s horse-tied pole, the Eighty-eight thousand sages’ tank, Sita’s fruit-eating place, Luv-Kush’s educational site, an old drinking water well, and other archeological Thousands of Nepalese and Indian visitors visit the ashram. A kneeling Hanuman idol, which is seldom seen around the globe, has been installed outside the Sita shrine. This ashram, located on the Nepal-India border, draws more Indian religious visitors than Nepalese.
Attractions
Besides religious and cultural significance, Valmiki Ashram is also very famous for its natural beauty. Lying between the lush dense forest of Chitwan national park, you can breathe fresh air around the ashram. The greenery and serene environment will take you away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The walk around the forest and the glimpse of the locals performing their rituals will amaze you. In addition, to make your journey more adventurous, you can also go boating in the river around there.
Historical and mythological beliefs
After studying theology at this ashram, Ratnakar, a renowned thief, became a Maharshi Valmiki. The region is also linked to the Sita and Luv-Kush contexts. The mythical importance of Hinduism is also discussed in the ashram’s Ramayana. According to mythology, Sita became pregnant and traveled to Valmiki Ashram, where she gave birth to Luv-Kush. Their schooling was likewise completed in the same location. Sita Patal is believed to have escaped from the same location.
Potential for tourism
According to different authorities, if the current structures are safeguarded, drinking water, power, bathrooms, and transportation are improved, the Valmiki Ashram will become a significant holy tourism attraction in Nepal.
Tourism promotion
There have been accusations that the attractive region for religious travelers is being overshadowed owing to the ashram’s lack of adequate security. Because of a lack of adequate publicity and growth, Valmiki Ashram has been overshadowed. The primary reasons for lack of adequate growth of Valmiki Ashram are a lack of publicity and challenging geographical conditions.
How to get there?
Although it is easier to reach Valmiki Ashram from India, you can also get there within a few hours from Kathmandu, too. It takes around 5-6 hours to reach there via private jeep/car. You have two options to get there: either by walking or by vehicle. To walk from shore to the ashram, it takes 20-30 minutes. You can drive directly to Valmiki Ashram by crossing the Gandaki Barrage close by the Indian border. You can also cross the Triben ghat by boat to reach Valmiki Ashram. It costs NPR 25 per person to go by boat.
-By: Kusum kharel for Land Nepal
