
Balmiki Ashram:
The Balmiki Ashram is situated in a forest on the banks of
the Tribeni river, at the south- western corner of the Chitwan
National park. It was a retreat used by the great Hindu sage,
Balmiki. This is where Sita is said to have lived with her
two sons, Labha and Kusha, after separating from Rama. Various
statues were unearthed in this area during an archeological
excavation in the late 60's. Recently, a Temple of Sita has
been built here.
Devghat:
Devghat is situated 6 km to the north of Bharatpur, the gateway
to the Chitwan National Park. On the day of the Makar Sankranti
festival in January pilgrims come here to take holy dips in
the Narayani, formed by the meeting of the Kali gandaki and
Trishuli. There is a settlement of a community of elderly,
retired people here. Devghat can be reached by taking a daily
flight or bus service.
Dhanushadham:
Dhanushadham, a historical and religious site, dates back
to the time of the great epic- Ramayana. It is located 18
km north-east of Janakpur in the south- central region of
Nepal. Dhanushadham was the place where Lord Rama had broke
Shiva's divine bow, a condition for winning the hand of Sita
in marriage. According to the epic, one of the three pieces
of the bow fell in the present day Dhanushadham.
Ridi:
Ridi is among the most popular religious places in Nepal.
Rikeshwor Narayan mandir, situated here, is the local version
of the Pashupatinath temple with its auspicious Ghats (cremation
grounds). It is situated at the confluence of The Kali Gandaki
and the Ridi Khola, linked by a 50 km dirt road to the hill
resort town of Tansen. During the Makar Sankranti festival,
hundreds of devotees from different parts of the world throng
the Dhanusha temple to worship the fossilized bow fragments
and to take ritual dips in the river. Here, there are other
temples dedicated to Ram and Ganesh too.
Simraugadh:
The capital of the former kingdom of Tirahut, is the seat
of a rich civilization, which peaked between the 11th and
14th centuries. The ancient city suffered terrible devastation
in the hands of invaders but its cultural glory remained in
the archeological treasures that are found here. There many
Hindu temples that draws people to this place in large numbers.
Simraugadh is situated in the Terai plains to the south of
Kathmandu. The most convenient access to this place, by air,
is from Birgunj (270 km away from Kathmandu). Another route
to Simraugadh is a Flight to Simara (15 minutes) and then
a drive to Birgunj (25 km) from where it is 45 km to simraugadh.
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