In the Footsteps of Rama – retracing the journey of the Purushotthama

The Ramayana is one of the most eternal stories in the heritage of Bharatavarsha. Who does not know the story of the Maryada Purushotthama? Who does not know the story of the great war between Rama and Ravana? The story of Rama has been enshrined in the Ramayana of Valmiki.

Apart from Valmiki’s epic, many authors have written the story of Rama. Tulsidas’s Ramacharitamanas is one of the many versions of the Ramayana written. The rich stories of Sri Rama are associated with his travels across the country – first during his exile and then in search of Sita Mata.

Authors Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni set out to recreate the journey of Rama and their travelogue is presented in the book “In the Footsteps of Rama”. This unique book captures the legend of the Ramayana within a travelogue.

The authors take us all over India and Sri Lanka as they explore the various places mentioned in the Ramayana. The structure of the book is well planned and its execution flawless. As we visit each place, the authors share their experiences while visiting the place. With each place is associated a story from the Ramayana. The authors share all these tales with us.

This book is unique because not only does it take us to historic places but it also regales us with the story of the Ramayana by narrating various incidents from the epic. It does not restrict itself to the Valmiki Ramayana but explores even local legends.

The book has been divided into four parts. The first part covers the travels of Rama after he was banished from Ayodhya. In the second part, the authors retrace the path taken by Rama when he went in search of Sita. The third part takes us to various places in Lanka where the war actually took place. The fourth and final part takes us to the places covered during the victorious return journey.

How can a book on the Ramayana not start with Ayodhya? This book not only starts at Ayodhya but also ends in Ayodhya. The authors meet Mahant Gyan Das of the Akhara Parishad who predicts that the journey will change them. He narrates the story of how a Muslim Nawab built the fort where the Hanuman Garhi temple is located and how he granted the temple freedom from all taxes.

This and many other such enthralling stories are part of this book, which is definitely of epic proportions. This book must not only be a part of every library but must be a textbook in colleges and universities. It should be made a textbook so our future generations know our heritage and the immortal places associated with it.

It should be a textbook for students of English to learn how to write a book in the most organized way. The structuring of the book, the interspersing of tales from the Ramayana within each chapter, and the engaging writing style are reasons why every Bharatiya should read this book.

There are so many facets of the Ramayana revealed in the story that they will definitely leave you surprised. We all know about the famous ‘Lakshman Rekha’ that Sita supposedly crossed because of which Ravana was able to abduct her. Did you know that the incident of the ‘Lakshman Rekha’ is not present in any version of the Ramayana? Yes, this is a fact that not many people are aware of. There are many other similar surprising facts revealed in this book.

Some of the interesting stories you will come across include:

• Why Urmila went into a deep sleep and woke up only when Lakshmana returned?
• What happened when sage Markandeya challenged the Lord himself?
• Why did Dasharatha’s crown end up with Vali?
• Why was it impossible to grow wheat in Raveri where a temple of Sita is located?
• Why did Maricha take the name of Rama before dying?
• Where really did Jatayu die and was Jatayu a vulture or an eagle?
• How did the curse of a sage help Nala build the Rama Setu?
• Why did Hanuman try to destroy the linga of sand made by Rama?
• Why do the villagers of Dunagiri refuse to worship Hanuman?

When I started reading this book, I assumed it was just a travelogue. This book is not a travelogue but a treasure trove of information about the Ramayana. The first thing you will observe about this book is its cover. The exquisitely designed cover makes it look like an illustrated Ramayana.

If you want to know about the places mentioned in the Ramayana and where they are located, then you must read this book. If history and geography interest you, then you need to read this book to relate the past and the present. If you loved the story of the Ramayana, then you will definitely enjoy reading this book.

The subtle humour used by the authors while describing their meetings with various types of people makes this book all the more delightful to read. Indeed, my sincere thanks to Indic Book Club for sending me this book. It is worth its weight in gold and I am not exaggerating. It is one of the most valuable books in my collection.

I am sure that the next generation and the ones after them will read this book and appreciate our amazing cultural heritage. Whenever there are signs of people forgetting our culture and our epics, books like these will ensure the story of Ramayana will never be forgotten.

Kudos to the authors for their wonderful efforts. They have spent a lot of time, money, and effort traveling through India and Sri Lanka as they wrote this book. The product of their efforts is surely worth the time they spent. I am sure after reading this book, there would be many who would like to recreate the journey of the authors and visit all the amazing places mentioned in the book (once the present situation resolves).

The only complaint I have with this book is the absence of photographs. Probably in some places, photos are not allowed. But including a few photos would have enriched this book. Maybe the authors could create a companion to this book or a website where they could share photos of all these wonderful places.

Hats off to the authors for this innovative book that I am sure will be a bestseller and will be a part of posterity.

I strongly recommend this book for everyone to read. It doesn’t matter what genre of books you like, this is one book that you will surely enjoy reading. When you complete reading this book, you will definitely cherish the experience and the immense knowledge you gain from it.

Disclaimer: This review is written as a part of the 1000 reviewers’ club initiative of Indic Book Club. Once again, my gratitude to Hari ji for conceptualizing this idea and to Abhinav Agarwal and team for making the idea a grand success.