Ramtek: The place where Lord Rama took a stop during his exile

Ramtek is a city in the Nagpur district, Maharashtra. Legend has it that while in exile, Lord Rama took rest at Ramtek

Ramtek is an hour's drive from Nagpur city. Just when you reach Ramtek, you will see a grand entrance of the city

Ramtek was once ruled by Gond dynasty, after which, under the leadership of Raje Raghoji Bhonsle, the Bhonsle dynasty won it from the Gond rulers in the 18th century

When Raje Raghoji Bhonsle learnt about the legend of Lord Rama at Ramtek, he vowed that if he won the Battle of Deogarh Fort in Chhindwara, he would use all the treasure won in the battle to build a temple at Ramtek

After Raje Raghoji Bhonsle built the temple, to protect the Lord Rama temple from invaders, he built a huge fort around the temple premises

About 500 stairs lead the way to the entrance of the temple premises at Ramtek

Many devotees have donated money to build the stairs out of their love for Lord Ram. The stairs bear the names of these devotees as carvings

On the way to the entrance of the temple premises, one can see different vendors selling food items and pooja samagri

At the entrance, Krushna Rao Thanekar, a pundit, ties a Rakshasutra, a red thread considered to be sacred among Hindus on the wrist of the devotees

The temple premises consists of seven-eight different temples of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, Lord Laxman, Lord Hanuman and Lord Rama's mother, Kaushalya

These temples are more than 300 years old

The Lord Rama temple at Ramtek. It is said that idols of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita at the temple were found at Surnadi (an erstwhile river at Ramtek)

Shri Lakshman Swami Temple at Ramtek. The idol at this temple was also found at Surnadi of Ramtek

The temple premises also consists of a water pool known as Sita Kund. It is said that the Queens of Bhonsle dynasty used to take bath in the pool, which they considered pure and sacred

Lord Hanuman's temple at Ramtek. Monkeys, who are known to be ardent devotees of Lord Hanuman, can be seen in heavy numbers all over the temple and fort premises

Another pundit at the temple, Dhanajay, says that Ramtek is home to more than 1000 monkeys

A monkey trying to snatch eatables from a local boy. The monkeys at Ramtek are often fed by the tourists; and when you don't feed them, beware, they snatch food!

MAKING A DEAL: It seems that the monkey and the dog have made a deal to share the food, the monkey has snatched from the tourists and locals

SHARING IS CARING: A goat and a monkey share popcorns given to them by a few tourists at Ramtek

Staying true to its mischievous nature, a monkey fiddles with a shopkeeper's stuff at Ramtek

IT'S MINE: A monkey possessively holds a coconut even as it tries to break it with its teeth

CHILLING OUT: A female monkey enjoys the good weather and relaxes with her child at the temple. They are sitting on an iron grill, which is on a height of at least 1000 feet from the ground level at Ramtek

YOU'RE SAFE WITH ME: A female monkey, fearing the height, protects its child

DIL CHAHTA HAI: This picture reminded us of the famous 'Dil Chahta Hai' pic of Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna at Fort Aguada, Goa. Much like them these monkeys seem to be great friends too!

LOOKING OUT: Monkeys sit on the fort wall to get a bird eye's view of the premises at Ramtek

On the temple premises, there's also a 'Vishnu Avtar Varah Mandir'. It is believed that if someone passes beneath the Varah's murti, it brings good luck to their life

Kalpana Nakode, a 67-year-old lady who sells pooja samagri, looks out to see if there are any monkeys around

Sanjay Dudhbarve sells kaccha chiwda on the road towards the temple at Ramtek

Many locals and shopkeepers keep and use slingshot to protect themselves and shoo away the monkeys

Just near the entrance of the temple premises after people are done climbing hundreds of stairs, Mohan Darode sits with his weight machine so that people can check their weight!

Apart from the Lord Rama Temple, Ramtek is also known for the ancient Jain temple, which consists of the various ancient statues of Jain Tirthankaras. The temple gained a lot of popularity after Digambar Jain Acharya, Acharya Vidyasagar, visited and staye

According to the 2011 census, the population of Ramtek is approximately 23,000. Former Prime Minister of India, P V Narsimha Rao, contested and won the 1984 and 1989 elections from Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency

Ramtek is a city in the Nagpur district, Maharashtra. Legend has it that while in exile, Lord Rama took rest at Ramtek

Ramtek is an hour's drive from Nagpur city. Just when you reach Ramtek, you will see a grand entrance of the city

Ramtek was once ruled by Gond dynasty, after which, under the leadership of Raje Raghoji Bhonsle, the Bhonsle dynasty won it from the Gond rulers in the 18th century

When Raje Raghoji Bhonsle learnt about the legend of Lord Rama at Ramtek, he vowed that if he won the Battle of Deogarh Fort in Chhindwara, he would use all the treasure won in the battle to build a temple at Ramtek

After Raje Raghoji Bhonsle built the temple, to protect the Lord Rama temple from invaders, he built a huge fort around the temple premises

About 500 stairs lead the way to the entrance of the temple premises at Ramtek

Many devotees have donated money to build the stairs out of their love for Lord Ram. The stairs bear the names of these devotees as carvings

On the way to the entrance of the temple premises, one can see different vendors selling food items and pooja samagri

At the entrance, Krushna Rao Thanekar, a pundit, ties a Rakshasutra, a red thread considered to be sacred among Hindus on the wrist of the devotees

The temple premises consists of seven-eight different temples of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, Lord Laxman, Lord Hanuman and Lord Rama's mother, Kaushalya

These temples are more than 300 years old

The Lord Rama temple at Ramtek. It is said that idols of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita at the temple were found at Surnadi (an erstwhile river at Ramtek)

Shri Lakshman Swami Temple at Ramtek. The idol at this temple was also found at Surnadi of Ramtek

The temple premises also consists of a water pool known as Sita Kund. It is said that the Queens of Bhonsle dynasty used to take bath in the pool, which they considered pure and sacred

Lord Hanuman's temple at Ramtek. Monkeys, who are known to be ardent devotees of Lord Hanuman, can be seen in heavy numbers all over the temple and fort premises

Another pundit at the temple, Dhanajay, says that Ramtek is home to more than 1000 monkeys

A monkey trying to snatch eatables from a local boy. The monkeys at Ramtek are often fed by the tourists; and when you don't feed them, beware, they snatch food!

MAKING A DEAL: It seems that the monkey and the dog have made a deal to share the food, the monkey has snatched from the tourists and locals

SHARING IS CARING: A goat and a monkey share popcorns given to them by a few tourists at Ramtek

Staying true to its mischievous nature, a monkey fiddles with a shopkeeper's stuff at Ramtek

IT'S MINE: A monkey possessively holds a coconut even as it tries to break it with its teeth

CHILLING OUT: A female monkey enjoys the good weather and relaxes with her child at the temple. They are sitting on an iron grill, which is on a height of at least 1000 feet from the ground level at Ramtek

YOU'RE SAFE WITH ME: A female monkey, fearing the height, protects its child

DIL CHAHTA HAI: This picture reminded us of the famous 'Dil Chahta Hai' pic of Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna at Fort Aguada, Goa. Much like them these monkeys seem to be great friends too!

LOOKING OUT: Monkeys sit on the fort wall to get a bird eye's view of the premises at Ramtek

On the temple premises, there's also a 'Vishnu Avtar Varah Mandir'. It is believed that if someone passes beneath the Varah's murti, it brings good luck to their life

Kalpana Nakode, a 67-year-old lady who sells pooja samagri, looks out to see if there are any monkeys around

Sanjay Dudhbarve sells kaccha chiwda on the road towards the temple at Ramtek

Many locals and shopkeepers keep and use slingshot to protect themselves and shoo away the monkeys

Just near the entrance of the temple premises after people are done climbing hundreds of stairs, Mohan Darode sits with his weight machine so that people can check their weight!

Apart from the Lord Rama Temple, Ramtek is also known for the ancient Jain temple, which consists of the various ancient statues of Jain Tirthankaras. The temple gained a lot of popularity after Digambar Jain Acharya, Acharya Vidyasagar, visited and staye

According to the 2011 census, the population of Ramtek is approximately 23,000. Former Prime Minister of India, P V Narsimha Rao, contested and won the 1984 and 1989 elections from Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency

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