Place
Dandaka forest
दंडकारण्यDandakaranya is the vast forest where Rama spends most of his exile, visiting the hermitages of sages and protecting them from rakshasas.
RegionCentral India, spanning parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Maharashtra
Why is Dandaka forest sacred?
After Chitrakoot, Rama enters the Dandaka forest. He kills Viradha, meets Sharabhanga, Sutikshna and Agastya, and promises the sages protection, a vow that sets him against the rakshasas of Janasthana.
The Uttara Kanda tells why the forest is wild: King Danda wronged a sage's daughter, and the curse turned his kingdom into wilderness. Today the name is used for a forest region across central India.
Where it is
IdentificationBroad region; boundaries are traditionalCentral India, spanning parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Maharashtra
Sargas set at Dandaka forest
19 sargas of the Valmiki Ramayana take place here.
2.119Into the Dandaka ForestAyodhya Kanda · Sarga 119 · दंडक वन में प्रवेश3.4Viradha Is ReleasedAranya Kanda · Sarga 4 · विराध की मुक्ति3.7At Sutikshna's HermitageAranya Kanda · Sarga 7 · सुतीक्ष्ण का आश्रम3.11Ten Years Among the HermitagesAranya Kanda · Sarga 11 · आश्रमों में दस वर्ष3.71Kabandha's StoryAranya Kanda · Sarga 71 · कबंध की कथा7.81Shukra's CurseUttara Kanda · Sarga 81 · शुक्र का शाप
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