In The Footsteps Of Rama

Travels with the Ramayana

By: Vikrant Pande, Neelesh Kulkarni

Narrated by: Abhishek Sharma

Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni's quest to retrace the trail of Rama's fabled travels during his years in exile began with their trying to locate Chitrakoot on the map and realizing that they had little idea where it might be. Curious about the places mentioned in the Ramayana, they set off on a journey of their own, following Rama's route from Ayodhya to the Dandakaranya forest and Panchavati (near Nashik) and on to Kishkindhya (close to Hampi), Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka.

Along the way they would discover how closely the narrative of the Ramayana is linked to local folklore, and how the stories of the Ramayana and the moral framework that binds them together still speaks to the people who live in the land across which Rama, Sita and Lakshman made their journey.

For the armchair traveller as well as the enthusiast for epic tales, this is a wonderful book with which to revisit the world of the Ramayana.

Good book but authors dislike this subject

The author did a really good job finding real places mentioned in the Ramayana and wrote the book well
1.But many times it feels like he clearly dislikes the Ramayana, almost as if he was forced to write about it.

2.He often makes negative comments about the Brahmin community and the story itself•

3.At almost every Ramayana site, he writes that “we rushed off,” like he didn’t want to stay,But at a Dutch fort, he says he wished he could spend hours there, which makes you wonder what his real interest is•

4.Many times he hints that the Ramayana may not be true, and readers will notice it.
5.Overall, good effort and good writing,but his personal dislike for Ramayan itself and Brahmins is visible most of the time.