Ramtek Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur is about 60 km away and is the nearest airport.

• By train

  Nagpur Railway Station, 50 km away, has frequent trains from all major Indian cities and is the better option.

• By road

  Ramtek is well-connected by road. State transport buses and private taxis run from Nagpur and Amravati, among other nearby cities.

Why devotees come here

Ramtek is a city and municipal council in Nagpur district, Maharashtra. Its hill temple is dedicated to Rama, and the town is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre.

Ramtek has been a regionally important religious site since at least the 5th century. The hill was once called Sindūragiri. A legend says it was stained red with the blood of the asura king Hiranyakashipu, killed by Narasimha. Another legend tells of Shambuka, a shudra who did tapas on the hill and accidentally caused a brahmin's son to die young. Rama killed him as punishment, but after Shambuka prayed, Rama agreed to make his home at Ramtek.

Ramtek as it stands today owes much to Raghuji I, the first raja of Nagpur, who sponsored extensive building here in the 1700s. The present temple is said to have been built by Raghuji Bhonsale, the Maratha ruler of Nagpur, in the 18th century. The Rama and Lakshmana temples both have a gently curving shikhara, an antarala and a mandapa. At least six temples still standing on the hill were built in the Vakataka period.

Festivals

• Date not given in our sources. Ask at the temple before you go.Ramanavami

  One of the two biggest religious festivals at Ramtek.

• Full moon of the Kartika monthKartika Purnima

  The other big festival. On it, a yellow silk cloth called pitambar is burnt at the Ram Mandir in memory of Shiva's defeat of Tripurasura.

Tips for your visit

• Khindsi Lake is a vast lake about 7 km east-northeast of Ramtek, and the October to March advice covers both places.
• Visitors start the climb at the western end of Ambala Lake, where a flight of steps leads uphill to the summit.

Questions people ask