A dove coos. A pair of birds responds to the call. Within a short span, a dozen doves began to coo from all directions and soon their cries reach a frenzied pitch before fading away. Located in Nepal like a teardrop island with lofty hills and thick forests, fresh fragrant air, a river and rivulets lies the Valmiki Ashram, otherwise known as a treasure trove of bounties of epic age.

Legend says, it was here that the legendary Valmiki meditated and received inspiration to compose Ramayana in Sanskrit whereas Goddess Sita spent her last days and mothered Luv and Kush. After spending days in exile, she eventually consigned herself into the womb of the earth.

Though the place is synonymous with legend and faith, a visitor here is bound to have  kaleidoscopic pictures of Ramayana age as eyes strike on two feet deep rectangular hole and an inscription written in Nepalese language on white marble, describing the space as Sita Patal Pravesh Sthal, (the place where Goddess Sita went underneath the earth).

As things stand today, an imposing temple has now come up at Sita Patal Pravesh Sthal, housing the images of the goddess and Luv-Kush in standing postures by her sides.

Spread over a stretch of land and in the mist of countless trees spangled by soft shafts of sun, it is heavenly to watch Sita Vatika (the place from where Goddess used to collect wild fruits for subsistence), Luv-Kushle ghoda bandey ko khambha (the place where Lav-Kush used to put their horse), Luv-Kush janam sthal (birthplace of Luv-Kush) and Valmiki rishile Lav-Kushlai shiksha deyo ke sthal (the place where Valmiki used to teach Luv-Kush) among others with all the locations well-displayed by the sign board put up in Nepalese language.

But overpowering them all is  Amrit Kuwa (magic well from where Sita used to fetch water), a silwat-lohara (on which she used to grind herbs) and a huge yajna kuda where Valmiki is said to have performed yajna in the company of 80,000 saints in yore.  

Needless to tell, the vagaries of time have telling effects on these bounties. While the Amrit Kuwa has by now gone dry, one notices moss-clad stones and leaves strewn all around adorning sites like ‘Luv-Kush janam sthal’ and ‘Valmiki rishile Luv-Kushlai shiksha deyo ke sthal’, among others in forlorn condition. However, thanks to efforts of a band of religious people from Nepal gathered under a committee called Imayati Samiti, two imposing temples have come up at Valmiki Ashram where a priest routinely performs prayers, chants the vedic mantras and recites religious scriptures. This apart, except ambling around the landscape, which is also home to around 100-odd people of Taru and Nepalese stock, there is very little to see at Valmiki Ashram. However, for avid bird watchers, the place serves as a great retreat as tiny sparrows, bulbuls, nightingales whistling on towering trees, eagles gliding high in azure sky makes the place worth visiting.

The picture of grandeur notwithstanding, the most disconcerting aspect of this place is the fact that it is seldom visited by people either from India or Nepal due to its remote location,which during rainy reason virtually becomes disconnected. While the boats are the only viable mode of communication to reach the place from Nepal, a visitor from India has to transverse the forest for a good distance (about 5 kms) and two rivers, Sone Vadra and Tamsa fxor the same from Valmiki Nagar, a rural town of Bihar.

Nonetheless, the bypass through narrow rugged way amidst forest cover meandering its way to Ashram is an exhilarating experience. All along the way, squirrels’ darting up the bark of towering trees, rabbits’ leap down meadows frisking their bushy tails and sights of monkeys, langoors, deer and occasionally the way being blocked by wild cows leave one mesmerised. However, there is always the lurking fear of tigers coming out from thick forest. Locals say, there have been many instances of tigers escaping from the Valmiki Nagar Tiger Reserve area and mauling and killing the people in recent past.

If Valmiki Ashram satisfies the cravings of religious-minded people, back in India a rural town Valmiki Nagar, about 350 from Patna – via lesser know towns of Bihar like Muzaffarpur, Motihari, Bettiah, Lauriya, Bettiah and Bagaha – promises one to leave spellbound by its breathtaking natural splendour, simmering blue water and places of worships with interesting legends in store.

Named after legendary ascetic, Valmiki Nagar boasts of having a spectacular bridge on Gandak River. The bridge, locally known as ‘Baraz’, acts as the line of demarcation between India and Nepal. While viewing the landscape from Baraz what strikes the eyes most are the clean, glistening waters of the river in the sun which seems to garland the Baraz. On a cloudless day one can view the ranges of Himalayas.

Barely two kms from Baraz is the temple of ‘Nar Devi”. The temple has an idol of Goddess Durga. According to the local legend, human beings were sacrificed here to propitiate the Goddess.

The rural town also boasts of a temple called ‘Jata Shankar Mandir’ where adorns an idol of Lord Shiva. A short distance, the temple is ‘Triveni’, a confluence of three rivers where a big fair is organized every year on the occasion of ‘Shankranti’. One wonders why the place exists nowhere in tourist’s map. However, a ray of hope for the tourism is an upcoming posh hotel, a joint venture of the state and central government.