Ram Tirath Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport (ATQ) in Amritsar is the nearest major airport.

• By train

  Amritsar Central Railway Station (ASR) is the nearest railway station.

• By road

  The temple is reached by the Amritsar Lopoke road, about 11 km west of Amritsar.

Why devotees come here

Ram Tirath Temple stands beside a sacred pond in Amritsar city, Punjab. It is believed to be the hermitage of Sage Valmiki, who wrote the Ramayana. The complex was redeveloped as a temple and museum project, with an 8-foot gold-plated idol of the sage.

Ram Tirath is believed to be the ashram of Sage Valmiki, the writer of the Ramayana, and numerous people visit it. According to legend, the sage gave shelter here to Sita, wife of Rama, after Rama decided she should not return to Ayodhya. The place is also considered the birthplace of Lava and Kusha, the twin sons of Rama.

The temple was inaugurated on 1 December 2016 by the Chief Minister of Punjab, and its 8-foot idol of the sage was installed then. For about a decade, the Dhuna Sahib sanctum was disputed between two mahants (monastery heads) and the Valmiki trust. A court order to hand it to one mahant was not carried out. The dispute was later settled amicably with the help of the Punjab government.

The site has entrance portals at both ends, and a sacred pond lies in the complex. A wide bridge links the pond to the circumambulation path. The temple and museum project was designed by architects of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.

Festivals

• NovemberRam Tirath fair

  A four-day annual fair is held here in November.

Tips for your visit

• The complex has entrance portals at both ends.
• The temple stands amidst a sacred pond, which a wide bridge links to the circumambulation path.

Questions people ask