The lingam at the main Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram was consecrated on the day after the slaying of Ravana and coronation of Vibhishana. Therefore it is believed not to have existed on the day of Dussehrah. Hence it remains closed on the day of Dussehrah. The slaying is celebrated in the neighboring Kothandaramaswamy temple.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit
Ramanujam

Parvati was amused by Shivji worshipping Rama. She taunted him saying that Rama is just a mortal and he himself is running around the forest trying to find his wife. She quizzed why Shivji should be worshipping the nomad. Shivji replied stating that Rama is not a mere mortal and that he is Vishnu himself in human form. Parvati wanted to prove Shiva wrong and appeared before Rama in the form of Sita to taunt him. Rama understood that it was Parvati and asked her beseechingly why she is tormenting him. This is why she is called Yedai, which means mad mother.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit
www.facebook.comShreeYedeshwariDeviYermala

Trinconamalee in Sri Lanka is called Trikuta Parvat and hosts the Koneswarama temple. It is considered as the capital of Ravana. There are other temples in the coast which are now sunken and are believed to be very ancient. The temple has a recorded history from 250 BCE.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit
Ramayana Tirtha

Makhaura Dham is in the Basti district of Uttar Pradesh. As advised by Vashishtha, Raja Dasaratha performed putreshti yajna here. There are two temples for Ram Janaki in Makhaura Dham.

Source
Ayodhya UP Tourism

Picture Credit
Ayodhya UP Tourism

Dronagiri in Uttarakhand is the place where Hanuman ji is not worshipped. The local people are supposed to be upset with Hanumanji as he had desecrated the place by dislocating the mountain and carrying it to Lanka. Even today, there is a reddish discharge from the portion said to have been torn off by Hanumanji, which is a discharge of Sulphur and oil. Ramlila performances stop at the abduction of Sita, since after that the narration involves Hanumanji.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit
Ramanujam

Kanak Mahal is now a huge temple complex. It is built like a palace as it was gifted by Kaikeyi to Sita after her marriage to Lord Rama. It is recognized as an important centre of madhuropasana (sweet devotion). Traditionally musical gatherings have been organized on important occasions here. Stalwarts like Pt Jasraj have performed in Kanak Mahal.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.
Ayodhya UP Tourism

Picture Credit
Ayodhya UP Tourism
Ayodhya UP Tourism

Kabandha is a demon whose face and neck were crushed into his stomach. His mouth was in the belly and he had no legs. He was blessed with arms 13 kms wide with which he used to grab and devour everything around him. When he tried to eat Rama and Lakshmana, they remained calm and Rama cut off his arms. This released Kabandha from his curse and he advised Rama on where to find Sabri who will in turn lead him towards Sugreeva. The grotesque sculpture is that of Kabandha which is now revered as Basavanna. Locals believe Basavanna held on to the demon who became part of his body.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit
Speaking Tree

Ramtek literally means the place where Lord Rama stopped or rested. He is beloved to have rested here for a while during his exile. Ramtek is also the location from which Kalidasa is believed to have composed the immortal Meghdoot. The geographical features of Ramtek closely match the description in the verses of the poem.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit

Vilvahari Teertha, called Billori, is the site of cremation of Dasaratha. It is believed that Bharata wanted him to be cremated where no other mortal had been cremated before. His body was preserved in oil for several days before such a place could be located. As Dasaratha had disowned Kaikeyi and Bharata after Rama’s exile, Shatrughan cremated Dasaratha.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.
Ayodhya UP Tourism

Picture Credit
Ayodhya UP Tourism

The Bharat Milap temple is on the spot where Bharat asked Rama to return to Ayodhya and take over the kingdom. There are footprints embedded on rocky surface believed to belong to the several personalities from the epic.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.
Chitrakoot, UP Tourism

Picture Credit
Chitrakoot, UP Tourism

Anjeyanadri is a hill near Hampi in Karnataka which is accepted as the birthplace of Hanumanji. There are also competing claims for the birth place of Hanumanji from Gokarna in Karnataka and Anjanadri in Andhra. Hanumangarh is in Rajasthan. Anjeyanadri near Hampi is widely accepted as the birthplace of Hanumanji. There is a temple on top of a hillock for Hanumanji.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit
www.facebook.comanjanadrihillanegundi

By the time Ravana was killed, Lanka had been devastated. Vibhishana sought a blessing from Rama to build a new capital on the western coast and chose Kelaniya, near Colombo. A Buddhist temple is at the site of Vibhishana’s palace and houses the only temple to Vibhishana in the world. There are deities of Vibhishana in temples near Rameswaram but those are not solely dedicated to him. The coronation of Vibishnana by Lakshmana is also represented in a sculpture in Kelaniya.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.
Ramayana in Lanka

Picture Credit
https //kelaniyatemple.lk/

The bascular bridge in Rameswaram can be raised and lowered and allows ships to pass beneath it. This is a railway bridge; till recently, Rameswaram was connected only by this railway line. A new road bridge has been built now.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit

Ramanujam

After Hanumanji landed in Sri Lanka and located Sita mata, Ravana moved her to a labyrinth of caves. The caves open out at strategic places that are associated with Ravana’s life like his dairy farm, his airport, his place of meditation etc. The caves are located in Istripuram. Even though they are well known these are not frequented. There is no religious worship in the place.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.
Ramayana in Lanka

Picture Credit

Le Pakshi is supposed to mean, Rise, O Bird in Telugu and is considered the place where Jatayu fell. Thiruputkuzhi has a temple pond dedicated to the bird. The Jatayu rock near Trivandrum is a recent construction. Though they are popularly believed to be the spots where Jatayu fell, Sarva Teertha at Taked near Nashik is considered as the spot where Jatayu was actually slain. It is about 40 kms south of Nashik, very much in the route that Ravana would have taken to go towards Sri Lanka. Picture Credit https //www.facebook.com/sandhya.bhatia.92

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.

Picture Credit
www.facebook.comsandhya.bhatia.92