01Bharat Milap
On Bharadwaja’s advice Rama chose Chitrakoot for its streams and wooded hills, and Lakshmana built a hut here. When Bharata learnt what had happened in Ayodhya he came with the queens, the army and the people to bring Rama home. Rama would not break his father’s word. Bharata took his brother’s padukas back to Ayodhya, set them on the throne and ruled as their servant from Nandigram. The meeting of the brothers, Bharat Milap, is still played on the ghats every year.
02Kamadgiri and Ramghat
The forested hill of Kamadgiri is itself worshipped as Kamtanath, the fulfiller of wishes, and pilgrims walk the five-kilometre path around its foot barefoot, many doing dandvat parikrama, measuring the path with their bodies. Ramghat on the Mandakini is where Tulsidas, by Chitrakoot’s tradition, received darshan of Rama while grinding sandalwood, with Hanuman prompting him. Upstream lies the ashram of Atri and Anasuya, and at Gupt Godavari a stream runs out of a cave.
Deepavali and Amavasya bring the largest crowds for the Kamadgiri parikrama. Evening aarti is held at Ramghat; boats go upstream to Janaki Kund.
