पंचवटी
यन्त्रोपारोपितकोशांशः सम्पाद्यताम्
Purana Encyclopedia सम्पाद्यताम्
 पृष्ठभागोऽयं यन्त्रेण केनचित् काले काले मार्जयित्वा यथास्रोतः परिवर्तयिष्यते। तेन मा भूदत्र शोधनसम्भ्रमः। सज्जनैः मूलमेव शोध्यताम्। |
PAÑCAVAṬĪ : The sacred place where Śrī Rāma built an āśrama and lived for some time with Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa during their exile in the forests. There is a story about Pañcavaṭī in the Kamba Rāmāyaṇa.
Pañcavaṭī is on the southern bank of the Godāvarī. Five Vaṭavṛkṣas (banyan trees) stand here in a circle and therefore, the place got the name Pañcavaṭī. There is a legend about these banyan trees. Once five Gan- dharva youths encircled the sage Agastya in the forest as a sport and prevented him from moving towards any direction. The enraged sage cursed them to stand in the same position as banyan trees. Thus by obstructing the movements of a divine man they were forced to remain without movement as trees. Before they took the form of trees they begged the sage for deliverance from the curse. Agastya said, “One day Śri Rāma with his wife and brother will come and stay in an āśrama built in your midst. Their holy presence will give you salvation from my curse.”
Śrī Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa when they came to that forest decided to build an āśrama in the centre of the circle formed by the five banyan trees. Lakṣmaṇa started to build the hermitage. At first he cut down one of the trees standing tall and straight and to the surprise and astonishment of all the fallen trunk of the tree disappeared and there in its place lay the dead body of a demon youth. It was the body of Śambhu- kumāra, son of Śūrpaṇakhā. He was doing penance there when Śrī Rāma came there with Sītā and becom- ing lustful at the sight of Sītā he stood there as a tree. It was he who was cut down by Lakṣmaṇa.
Śrī Rāma understood the thing that happened. He then explained to Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa many things about the frauds and deceits of the demons. After that they built their hermitage there and dwelt there for a long time. (Araṇya Kāṇḍa, Kamba Rāmāyaṇa).
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*3rd word in right half of page 561 (+offset) in original book.