It was just a travel idea to begin with. We—old friends—have been going on family vacations together for years. During one such trip, sitting in a hotel room in Jaipur, we were struck by the thought of travelling to Chitrakoot.
We had no idea that we were about to embark on a path-breaking journey. It turned out to be a heady cocktail of faith, fun and exhilaration.
The epic Ramayana tells us that Ram, Sita and Lakshman took refuge in the woods of Chitrakoot when they went on vanvaas or exile. They spent 11 years, 11 months and 11 days in the forests of Chitrakoot, in present-day Uttar Pradesh (and some parts in Madhya Pradesh). Our Chitrakoot sojourn—with visits to some sights associated with the epic—sparked an idea we decided to try and follow the path that Ram, Sita and Lakshman took in exile.