Group One
After weeks of researching, Group One was finally ready for their presentation. Group One consisted of Rama, Ahalya, Nakula, and Karna.
Rama: First, we will start with our city. We chose the city of Ayodhya. Ayodhya is the birthplace of Rama in the Ramayana. It is the capital city of the Kingdom of Kosala, and was ruled by King Dasharatha, Rama's father, until his death before being ruled briefly by Bharata. Rama ascends to the throne after serving his exile and defeating Ravana.
Rama, an avatar of the god Vishnu, was born for the purpose of stopping Lord Ravana. Lord Ravana was terrorizing the land and been awarded many boons from the gods. He had magnificent power and was protected from gods, demigods, and everyone who wasn't human. After discussing it, the gods chose King Dasharatha and his wives to raise Rama and his three brothers. King Dasharatha prepared for the ritual that would bring his sons for over a year, with sacrificial alters being built in Ayodhya. At the end of the year, Dasharatha performed a horse sacrifice in front of Brahman Vasishta, who ensured everything went as planned. Kings and their subjects were invited from all over to view the ceremony, establishing a pattern of immigration that would have an effect on the city for hundreds of years to come. To end the ritual, King Dasharatha's wives were each given a portion of magical food. After consuming the food, all three of the wives became pregnant.
This is only one version of the story, however, as Ayodhya has been at the center of a religious controversy. It is believed that the Babri Mosque was built on the ruins of the Ram Mandir, the Temple of Rama, after it was destroyed when the Mughal Empire invaded northern India in the early 16th century. Others believe that Ayodhya became the site of Hindu pilgrimage only after the 18th century due to its lack of mention in primary sources, but there is evidence that it was a Buddhist site as early as the 7th century.
Ayodhya lies in northeastern India (Rama points to the northeastern portion of the map).
Ayodhya
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
It is located on the Ghaghara River, also known as the Sarayu River, near the border of Nepal. It has a population of 263,000 people. The majority of the population are Hindu, but there are also Muslims, Jains, and Buddhists in the city. Due to the religious history of the area, there are many temples in Ayodhya. One of the more famous temples is the Kanak Bhavan, which was thought to be a private palace of Rama and Sita.
Ahalya: For our mountain, we chose Mount Kailash. Mount Kailash, also known as Big Kailash, is thought to be the home of the god Shiva who lives there with his wife, Parvati, in constant meditation.
Mount Kailash is a mountain peak located in the southwestern part of Tibet. It is almost 22,000 feet tall and is a part of the Kailash Mountain Range.
Mt. Kailash
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Mount Kailash is the home of religious pilgrimages throughout the year as four different religions consider it holy: Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, and Bon. Bon is a Tibetan religion similar to Buddhism. Mount Kailash was said to be a part of the Zhang Zhung Kindom, a suspected starting place of the Bon religion around 500 B.C.E. The belief is that walking around the mountain will bring good fortune.
Mount Kailash
Image Author: Ondřej Žváček
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Karna (pointing at the center of a map of India): Another holy site throughout Hindu and Indian history is the Narmada River. It is said to be one of the seven holy rivers of India and is mentioned throughout the Ramayana, although it may be best known as the site where a teenage Ravana was defeated by King Arjuna.... Kartavirya, not Pandavas.
The river is over eight hundred miles long and starts in the middle of the country, flowing westward into the Arabian Sea.
Much like Mount Kailash, the Narmada River is the site of many pilgrimages throughout the year. As a holy river, the Narmada is believed to wash away the sins of anyone who bathes in its waters. To resemble a story of the Pandavas being robbed while crossing the Narmada, pilgrims are expected to strip down to only their essentials and rely on the donations of others to finish their trek.
Nakula: Our last place is the mythical city of Siddhashrama, also known as Gyanganj. Siddhashrama is believed to be the secret, mystical hermitage of the great Vishnu as well as Vishvamitra. Vishvamitra took Rama and Lakshmana to Siddhashrama early in their teachings where they destroyed the demon Subahu and wounded Maricha while Vishvamitra finished his rituals.
While Siddhashrama is thought to be mythical, some say it is possible to reach in spiritual form once all of the five criteria have been met. One of the five criteria is to be simple and noble, and adopting of the Indian culture, while another criteria is to be the disciple of a teacher who has been admitted to Siddhashrama himself. Many Hindus believe that Vishvamitra, among others, can be seen wandering the area in his physical form, preaching.
Siddhashrama is believed to be located deep in the Himalayas, above Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake, placing it in southwestern Tibet as we saw with Mount Kailash.
Rama Confronts Maricha and Subahu at Siddhashrama
Image Author: Mohan
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Rama: As highlighted by the birth of Rama and the accompanying story of the Mughal Empire invasion, many of the holy places of the Ramayana are also shared by different religions and denominations. Since our four geographical features, Ayodhya, Mount Kailash, Narmada River, and Siddhashrama are all located in the northern half of India, and some into China, it is not surprising that Buddhism and Hinduism, along with many other similar regional religions, have overlapping areas of worship that appear in the Ramayana.
Author's Note: I retold the story of Rama's birth, along with information about other religions to show how Ayodhya has been affected by its geography and the impacts of the Ramayana and other religions. In the story, I used King Dasharatha's invitation of other kings throughout the country as a way of showing globalization, primarily the spread of religions. I also tried to briefly incorporate how the other areas were used in the Ramayana, the geography of the area, and its importance in the region today. All of the students are named off of characters from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, but are not the characters from the books - only the names are the same. The groups were mainly chosen at random, but I did intentionally have Rama in the group that taught about Ayodhya, and I purposely tried to separate characters who spent a lot of time together in the books.
For each group, one geographical area will be a highlight, while the others three will a little less well known or have less of an impact on the area. For this group, the highlight was Ayodhya, with Rama telling the story of his birth, and a complimenting story about the religious controversy in the city. The Himalayas will be the highlight for group two, and the Ganges for group three. Group four will [Sri] Lanka. I tried to add a number of pictures and maps, as I think that is what would be displayed while this presentation is being given, with most of the information being verbal.
Sources:
The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by Kamban / R. K. Narayan. Web Source
Banner Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
- Ramnath Bhat