Sitabani Temple, Ramnagar, Uttarakhand

Sitabani Temple, Ramnagar, Uttarakhand

Sitabani Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to goddess Sita located inside the Sitabani Reserve near Ramnagar Town in Ramnagar Tehsil in Nainital District in Uttarakhand, India. The temple is situated inside the Sitabani Reserve near the famous Jim Corbett National Park.

Legends

As per legend, the temple is believed to be the hermitage of Sage Valmiki, the author of Ramayana. It is said that Sita lived in this place during her exile before facing the Agni Pariksha. She entered into the lap of Mother Earth here during Agni Pariksha. Hence, the place came to be called as Sitabani / Sitavani.

The Temple

The temple is situated inside the Sitabani Reserve. The temple is actually a twin shrine. The principal shrine enshrines an image of goddess Sita with her sons Lav and Kush. The shrine next to it is dedicated to Lord Shiva. There is an ancient temple dedicated to Sage Valmiki is also situated in the reserve. Few amlaka stones, a headless image of dancing Ganesha, doorjambs and architectural fragments can be found scattered around the temple premises.

There is a Kund located at lower level opposite to the temple. Sitabani reserve is famous for bird watching. The dense Sal forests of the reserve is home to tigers, leopards, elephants, spotted deer, sambhar, wild boar etc. There are about 35 Royal Bengal tigers in this reserve. Sitabani is open throughout the year for Safari tour and there is no limit of vehicles entering the area. Sitabani forest department issues permit for this safari.

Festivals

Rama Navami is celebrated here with much fanfare. A fair is conducted during Rama Navami.

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 23 Kms from Ramnagar, 23 Kms from Ramnagar Bus Stand, 24 Kms from Ramnagar Railway Station, 50 Kms from Kashipur, 73 Kms from Nainital, 81 Kms from Pantnagar Airport and 240 Kms from Dehradun. Ramnagar is gateway to the Jim Corbett National Park. There are regular buses from Ramnagar to Nainital, Ranikhet, Haldwani, Tanakpur, Haridwar, Dehradun, Kashipur, Moradabad, Meerut and Delhi. Bus services are also available to Jaipur. National Highway 121 which starts from Kashipur and ends at Bubakhal, Uttarakhand passes through Ramnagar.

Location