Dandakaranya, the story of the mythical forest.

History lies in the district of Bastar in Chattisgarh. It is a place blessed with exceptional beauty and is home to forests, wildlife, waterfalls, and temples. From the Bastar Palace, which screams the glory of Raja Bhanj Deo with its impressive architecture, to the ancient Danteshwari temple, The place has some treats for tourists. But its actual beauty lies in the dense forest named Dandakaranya.

Dandakaranya, The forest where Rama, Laxman and Sita lives, Image Source - Times of India.

Dandakaranya forest located at the Bastar district of Chattishgarh. Image Source- Alchetron

This forest spans about 92 square kilometers between the Abujhmad Hills, which have silently witnessed numerous events from our mythology. It dates back to the Ramayana, when Lord Rama fled into the wilderness for exile. This mythological forest, which has encountered half of the Ramayana, also has a fascinating past.

Long, long ago, there was a brave king named Ikshvaku. He was the founder of the Solar dynasty, or the Surya Vansha. Back then, his kingdom flourished under his rule. His hundred sons were magnificent warriors just like their father, but the youngest of all was a fool.

The hundredth son, Danda or Dandaka, was not as efficient as a king. Everyone in the kingdom thought he would surely be punished because of his ignorance, and so was his name, Danda, which meant punishment.

Skeptical of Danda’s future, Ikshvaku wanted to keep him secure for that. So he gifted him a vast region between the mountains. This was the kingdom to be ruled by Danda. Also, to save him from further trouble, Ikshvaku chose Shukracharya as his Guru.

One day, Danda landed at Shukra’s ashram to learn some Shastra. However, living a disciplined life was a challenge for Danda. In that ashram was the beautiful girl Araja, who was Shukra’s daughter. Once, he saw Araja while bathing, and a burning fire of lust overpowered his mind. Ignoring her constant protests and cries, he thrust upon her, leaving Araja in immense pain. He suddenly departed the location as soon as he regained his senses.

When heartbroken Araja narrated this incident to her father, Shukra screamed with anger and agony. He cursed Danda, saying that his kingdom would perish in seven days. All his people and armies would die, and the rain of fire would drench the kingdom. He also cursed that this place would be ruled by death for hundreds of years. Shukra’s curse took effect, and the kingdom crumbled, including the king.

Gradually, it became densely forested and became known as Dandakaranya. “Aranya.” is a Sanskrit word that means forest, so Dandakaranya translates into the Jungle of Punishment. When people settled in the forest over time, they became known as Dandaka. Dandaka was also the name of a plant found in the forest.

Rama, Laxman, and Sita spent 13 of their 14 years of vanvas traveling around this area in the epic Ramayana. Here they encountered Surpanakha, who was Ravana’s sister. This Dandakaranya forest was also home to the "Panchavati" forest. This was the place where Rama and Sita momentarily resided before Sita was kidnapped by Ravana. So, this forest has seen several instances of the Ramanyana and thus has a rich mythological past.

According to the Ramayana, Dandakaranya inhabited many dangerous monsters, including ghouls, goblins, demons, and pishachas. A demon (rakshasa) by the name of Dandaka also lived in Dandakaranya. The Sages had to cross the jungle to get to the Vindhya mountains, where many exiles lived. Dandaka thus denotes six different things: a person, a kingdom, a demon, people who live in Dandakaranya, a plant, and punishment.

However, cut down to the present, the Dandakaranya region has been a so-called division of outlawed CPI(Maoist) rebels, who used to rule there for about three decades. It is characterized by poverty and underdevelopment. However, as a result of the extensive deployment of security troops there, their influence is waning.