Hinduism - What Is Dandakaranya?



In the Ramayana, the first of the two major Indian epics, a specific forest (aranya) is mentioned. 

The deity Rama, the epic's protagonist, his wife Sita, and his brother Lakshmana dwell at this ashram (residence) in the hamlet of Panchavati during the latter half of their fourteen-year exile. 

The humilation and mutilation of the demon Shurpanakha by Rama and Lakshmana, their annihilation of the demon army headed by her brothers Khara and Dushana, and Sita's abduction by Shurpanakha's third brother Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka, all take place in this forest. 

Because many of the events in the Ramayana cannot be situated in a specific location, the exact location of the Dandaka forest is unknown. 

However, one historic Panchavati site is just outside of Nasik, Maharashtra. 



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