In news- The central government recently decided to declare the “84 kos parikrama marg” around Ayodhya a national highway.
More information-
- All three parikramas in Ayodhya — the 5 kos (around 15 km), 14 kos (42 km), and 84 kos (about 275 km) parikramas are linked to Lord Rama.
- The Baal Kand of the Valmiki Ramayana mentions that Ayodhya was earlier known as Koshaldesh, initially spread over 48 kos, and was later expanded to 84 kos.
- The 84 kos parikrama is a circumambulation of Koshaldesh, touching all important places associated with the kingdom of Ram.
- It is done in the Hindu month of Kartik.
- The 84 kos parikrama route is 15 mostly single-lane roads passing through five districts.
- The 14 kos parikrama is for the main Ayodhya city of that time, and the 5 kos parikrama circumambulates the inner circle within which the heart of Ram’s kingdom was located.
- As per Hindu belief, the 84 kos parikrama frees a person from the obligation of completing 84 lakh lives.
- The yatra is covered on foot, with some 25 stops and several places to rest.
- While the two shorter parikramas are completed by thousands of devotees every year, the 84 kos parikrama is undertaken by no more than 100-150 sadhus annually.
Source: Indian Express
