Gupt Godavari, Chitrakoot

Gupt Godavari is a very picturesque holy spot in Chitrakoot. It is nestled amidst the Panna range of the Vindhya mountains, thirteen kilometers from Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh. The name literally means ‘secret Godavari’. True to its meaning, the sacred Godavari river flows secretly here though visible for some time inside the cave. It is considered as one of the Char Dhams of Chitrakoot.

Godavari River flows at an ankle length at certain points and at knee length at some other points inside this cave. This holy place is associated with many lilas of Lord Rama, Lakshmana and Sita Devi. The Godavari river flows here out of her desire to serve Lord Rama and be touched by His lotus feet.

Being one of the most important attractions of Chitrakoot, lots of devotees come here to see the cave where Lord Rama lived and wade through the sacred waters of the Godavari river. It is said that a pilgrimage to Chitrakoot is incomplete without visiting Gupt Godavari.

How Godavari became Gupt Godavari

The sacred Godavari originally originates at Trimbakeshwar in present day Maharashtra. She is known as the daughter of Sage Gautama. When Bharata went to Chitrakoot to take back Lord Rama to Ayodhya, all the devatas, holy rivers, etc. had gone to Chitrakoot to visit Him.

The Godavari river, which was flowing in Nashik came to know about this. Out of her desire to serve Lord Rama and be touched by His lotus feet, she travelled from Nashik to Chitrakoot. In Chitrakoot, she manifested in the caves of the Tungaranya mountains which came to be known as Gupt Godavari Gufa.

She started flowing within these caves as seven different streams to serve the Lord. Hence, she got the name ‘Gupt Godavari’. She continues to flow inside the Gupt Godavari caves to this date. At a point, she comes out of the cave and merges with a pond only to disappear.

The native folks believe that Lord Ramachandra had manifested Godavari for Mother Sita to take bath. When the Lord shot an arrow, she gushed out from the Patala Loka and began to flow here. Devotees believe that Godavari actually originates here and from here she flows to Trimbakeshwar. As per Tulsidas Godavari is the daughter of Mekhal. She was the childhood friend of Mother Sita.

The Gupt Godavari Gufa

Devatas were well aware that Lord Ramachandra would choose Chitrakoot as His temporary residence in the forest. They had built the Gupt Godavari Gufa for the pleasure of Lord Ramachandra to make it as His residence. There are two entrances to the cave. The first entrance is small and dry. You will come across the deity of Suyya Devi, the sister of Anasuya Devi.

As you walk on inside the cave, you can see the Ram Durbar where Lord Rama used to hold court. The Deities of Lord Rama, Lakshmana and Sita Devi are installed on a raised platform here. There is a Dhanush kunda here which is shaped like a Dhanush i.e. bow.

Moving further on, you will come across Sita Kunda where Sita Devi used to bathe. Once, a demon by the name Mayanka stole the clothes of Sita Devi while She bathed. Lakshmana caught hold of Mayanka sensing that something was not right.

He punished the demon by tying him upside down from the ceiling. At this spot, the rock hanging from the ceiling is considered to be the remains of the demon. A tap on the rock produces a ‘khat khat’ sound. Hence, known as Khatkhata chor.

The second cave of Gupt Godavari

As you come out of the first cave, you can have darshan of Lord Hanuman whose deity is installed outside. Next, you will see a Panchamukhi (five-faced) Shivalinga at the entrance of the second cave whom you can circumambulate before stepping inside the cave.

The sacred waters of Gupt Godavari can be touched from the very point where you place your first step inside the second cave. As you wade through her waters, you can observe that the cave looks to be shaped in the form of a Dhanush i.e. bow. Going further, you will find a ceiling shaped in the form of Anantadeva.

The Ram-Lakshman-Hanuman Kunda is present inside this cave on the way inside. The cave comes to an end slowly with the waters of the Gupt Godavari appearing from the kundas. In fact, she flows out as a small stream elsewhere, mixes with certain kundas and disappears again.

The caves are dated to be 9.5 lakh years old as per an ancient testimonial written outside the cave in an ancient script, athough it is contradicting the actual date of Ramayana.

How to Reach Gupt Godavari

To experience Gupt Godavari to the fullest, there is no one better to travel with than the Ayodhya-Kashi Yatra conducted by Tirtha Yatra.

Usually, you have to reach Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh to visit Gupt Godavari. From Chitrakoot, you can hire a taxi to Gupt Godavari cave 13 kms away. The visiting hours are between 7 AM to 6 PM.

You can use the following modes of transportation to reach Chitrakoot –

By Road: Chitrakoot is well connected by regular bus service from cities and towns in both Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. This includes private bus services as well as state bus services from Prayagraj, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Satna and more places.

At a distance of 75 to 80 kms, Satna is the nearest city. Alternatively, you can hire taxis from these cities.

By Rail: Chitrakutdham Karwi Railway Station is the nearest railway station at a distance of 8 to 10 kms. You can alight here and catch a bus or hire a taxi to Chitrakoot.

By Air: The Bamrauli Airport in Prayagraj is the nearest airport at a distance of 111 kms. You can fly in here and use the rail or road route to reach Chitrakoot. 

Gupt Godavari is a manifestation of love

The sacred Godavari river manifested in the caves at Chitrakoot only to serve Lord Rama and be touched by His lotus feet. She came all the way from Nashik 100s of kilometres away just for Lord Rama.

This is a transcendentally beautiful expression of love for Lord Rama the way Bhakta Hanuman or Lakshmana serves Him. Through her example, she teaches us the glories of devotion to Lord Rama. The next time you visit Gupt Godavari, take her blessings if you desire to advance in devotion to Lord Rama.

4