Chhoti Chhawni / Valmiki Bhawan, Ayodhya: The Whole Ramayana in Marble, Timings and Visit Guide

ॐEssential info at a glance

ॐChhoti Chhawni timings and entry

The complex is open through the day, and entry is free. It follows the daily prayer schedule of the ashram, with morning and evening worship, and darshan is generally accessible from the morning through to the evening. It is one of the more peaceful and uncrowded of Ayodhya's great sites, so any hour is calm; the soft morning and evening light on the white marble is especially lovely.

ॐThe whole Ramayana in marble

There are few sights in all of Ayodhya as quietly astonishing as the great hall of the Valmiki Bhawan. It is a magnificent chamber of white marble, some thirty feet high, and across the marble panels of its walls, over two floors, is inscribed the entire Valmiki Ramayana, all twenty-four thousand Sanskrit verses of the great epic, letter by letter, carved into stone. To stand in that gleaming hall and realise that the whole of the Ramayana, the timeless story of Ram, from his birth to his return, surrounds you on every side, written out in full in the eternal marble, is a genuinely moving experience, a feat of devotion and patience almost beyond imagining, the sacred word made solid and everlasting. At one end of the hall stand the idols of Luv and Kush, the twin sons of Lord Ram, together with their guru, Maharishi Valmiki, the very poet whose words fill the walls around them, so that the author and his epic and the princes who first sang it are all gathered in one radiant space.

ॐThe white marble Bhawan

The Valmiki Bhawan itself is a work of great beauty. Crafted wholly of white marble, gleaming and serene, it is one of the loveliest modern structures in Ayodhya, a grand and graceful building that visitors describe simply as a sigh of sheer beauty. It stands within the Maniram Das Chhawni complex, which has two facing mansions, an older, traditional ashram building and, before it, this new marble marvel, so that the ancient and the modern face one another across the courtyard. After the crowds and intensity of the great temples, to step into the calm, cool, white brightness of the Valmiki Bhawan is a balm, and it is one of the most peaceful and contemplative places a pilgrim can find in the holy city.

ॐMaharishi Valmiki, the first poet

The Bhawan is a temple to a poet, and that poet is Maharishi Valmiki, honoured as the Adi Kavi, the first poet, the author of the Ramayana itself, the epic that has shaped the heart and imagination of India for thousands of years. And Valmiki's bond with Ayodhya's story is deep and tender, for it was in his forest ashram that the goddess Sita took refuge in her sorrow, and there that she gave birth to and raised her twin sons, Luv and Kush; and it was Valmiki who composed the Ramayana and taught it to the two boys, who then sang it, the first ever telling of the tale, in the court of their own father, Lord Ram. To honour Valmiki here, in Ayodhya, and to surround his statue with his own imperishable words, is to honour the very source of the story that makes this city holy.

ॐThe Maniram Das Chhawni: an ashram of saints

The Valmiki Bhawan is part of the Sri Maniram Das Chhawni, one of the oldest and most important ashrams of Ayodhya. The word Chhawni means a camp or cantonment, a name that goes back to the encampments of the Ramanandi Vaishnav ascetics, and this Chhoti Chhawni, the smaller camp, is a great living seat of saints, thronged with sadhus at all hours, a place of deep devotion and service. Within it are temples of Ram and Sita and a beautiful Ram Darbar, and, remarkably, a Rangnath deity carved from a single block of black stone. The ashram is renowned for its generosity, serving free meals daily to its many sadhus and to guests, in the true spirit of a house of God.

A particularly lovely and unusual feature here is the Ram Naam Bank, a bank not of money but of the name of Ram. Devotees may take from it, and repay their devotion by writing the name of Ram, Ram, Ram, many times over in the books that are kept and treasured here, so that the written name of the Lord accumulates as a sacred wealth. It is a beautiful practice, and a window into the deep, gentle devotion of this place.

The Maniram Das Chhawni is also of great standing in Ayodhya's religious life today: the mahant of this ashram is the president of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the body that built and now cares for the grand Ram Mandir.

ॐA house of the poet, in my own words

By Rajeev Sharma, guide with Experience My India

Chhoti Chhawni is a place many hurried visitors miss, and it is one of my quiet favourites, so I always make time for it. I walk my guests into the great white marble hall, and I let them look up and around, and then I tell them: every wall you see, on both floors, has the entire Ramayana carved into the marble, all twenty-four thousand verses. People are astonished; they go quiet, and they run their eyes over the stone. I show them the statues of Luv and Kush with their guru Valmiki, and I tell them how the two boys learned the Ramayana here in the sage's ashram and sang it before their own father. For anyone who loves the story of Ram, this is a deeply moving place.

I also love to show them the Ram Naam Bank, and explain that here you can 'deposit' the name of Ram by writing it, which always makes people smile and think. It is a real ashram, full of saints, very peaceful, and they feed everyone freely, which tells you the spirit of the place. And for those who have seen the Tulsi Manas Mandir in my own Kashi, where Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas is written on the walls, I point out the beautiful pairing: the Sanskrit Ramayana of Valmiki in marble here in Ayodhya, and the Hindi Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas on the walls in Varanasi. The two cities, the two great tellings of the one story. It moves people every time.

In more than forty years of guiding, this is the hidden gem I am most glad to have never let a thoughtful pilgrim miss.

ॐWhat to see and do

• Stand in the great 30-foot marble hall and behold the entire Ramayana engraved on its walls.
• See the statues of Luv and Kush with their guru, Maharishi Valmiki, the author of the epic.
• Take darshan at the Ram Darbar and the temples of the older ashram, and the black-stone Rangnath.
• Learn about, and try, the Ram Naam Bank, the writing of the name of Ram.
• Feel the calm of a great living ashram of saints, and, if offered, share in its free meal.

ॐHow to reach Chhoti Chhawni

The complex is on Chhoti Chhawni Road, also called Maniram Das Chhawni Road, a name that guides you straight to it, in Ayodhya. It is easily reached by road from the core temples and the ghats.

Because it is a little apart from the busiest core, it is worth building into your day with a guide, so it is not missed.

ॐBest time to visit and how to plan it

• Pair it with the core temples and the Saryu ghats over a full day of Ayodhya.
• Allow 30 to 45 minutes to take in the hall and the ashram at a gentle pace.

For Ayodhya, or a combined Kashi and Ayodhya pilgrimage, planned end to end, see our tour packages.

ॐAccessibility for elderly and mobility limited visitors

• The marble complex is spacious and largely at ground level, easier than a hilltop temple, though the hall has two floors and some steps.
• It is calm and uncrowded, which suits a slow, restful, contemplative visit.
• Reach it comfortably by road; there is parking nearby.
• We arrange transport and plan a gentle visit within your Ayodhya day.

ॐNearby sacred sites in Ayodhya

Chhoti Chhawni sits a little apart from the busiest core, among the great sites of the holy city.

For the Ram Mandir darshan and its free Sugam booking, see our Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir guide.

ॐOur guided visit and Ayodhya tours

We are a Varanasi and Ayodhya based operator, a unit of Experience My India, with more than forty years of guiding pilgrims across Kashi, Ayodhya, and Prayagraj, and we have our own local guide and pandit in Ayodhya. Entry is free, so what we arrange is the visit around it: a guide who tells the story of Valmiki and the Ramayana, points out the wonders of the engraved hall and the Ram Naam Bank, and weaves this beautiful, often-missed place into a full and well-planned day of Ayodhya.

Inclusions and exclusions are stated up front, with any taxes and conditions, and no charge appears later that was not named. Entry is free; our charge is only for guiding and services. See all our tour packages for the full range.

Experience My India is a travel operator, not the ashram administration. Entry is free; our charge is only for our guiding and services. Timings and rules are set by the ashram and can change.