The Land on Which the Story of Prabhu Shri Ram Unfolds
It is described in the Aranyakanda of the Ramayana that after thirteen years of exile in the forest were complete, Prabhu Shri Ram, Sita and Lakshman, on the advice of Sage Agastya, came to stay at a place called Panchavati on the banks of the Godavari. Here they built a hut of leaves. The popular etymology is that Panchavati means a cluster of five banyan trees.
Because of this story, every place in Panchavati has been graced with the touch of the Ramayana. Sita Gumpha, Ramtirth, Lakshman Rekha, Tapovan, the Kalaram Temple: many such sites here are bound up with memories of the Ramayana. For Vaishnava devotees this is not merely a tirtha but a land sanctified by the presence of Prabhu Shri Ram. That is why, for the Vaishnava akhadas, Ramtirth became the place of faith for bathing.
That is why, among the factors that give Nashik its importance as a Kumbh site, Panchavati's place is at the very top. Vaishnava sadhus bathe in Ramtirth, because this place has been sanctified by Prabhu Shri Ram's stay. In this chapter we will look at the related episodes of the Ramayana in order, then get to know the main sites of Panchavati, and finally see how this faith can be viewed from the perspective of history and literature.
The Meaning of the Name "Panchavati"
The word Panchavati is made up of two parts: panch means five and vati means a forest of trees, especially banyan trees. According to folk tradition, there were five huge banyan trees in this area, and that is why it came to be named Panchavati. Even today, five trees are shown near Sita Gumpha in Panchavati.