Chitrakut

Known as a mini Varanasi because of its many temples and ghats (but not cremations), this small, peaceful town on the banks of the River Mandakini is the stuff of Hindu legends. It is here that Hinduism’s principal trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva – took on their incarnations. It is also the place where Lord Rama is believed to have spent 11½ years of his 14-year exile after being banished from his birthplace in Ayodhya at the behest of a jealous stepmother.