Shringverpur Dham, Prayagraj: Where Lord Ram Crossed the Ganga in Exile, Timings and Visit Guide

ॐEssential info at a glance

ॐShringverpur timings and the Ganga aarti

The Shringverpur Dham and the Shringi Rishi Temple are open daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; the Nishadraj Tourist Park, with its great statue, is open from about 9:00 AM to 6:00 or 7:00 PM; and Shri Ram Ghat, on the Ganga, is open around the clock, though it is best from sunrise to sunset. Entry to the Dham, the ghats and the excavation sites is free. The loveliest moment is the evening Ganga aarti at Shri Ram Ghat, performed every evening around sunset, roughly between 5:30 and 6:30 PM by the season, on the very bank where Lord Ram crossed the holy river.

ॐShringverpur Dham: where Ram's exile truly began

On the bank of the holy Ganga, about forty km from Prayagraj, lies one of the most moving of all the sites of the Ramayana: Shringverpur, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Nishadraj, the King of the Fishermen. For it was here, in the Ramayana, that Lord Ram, with Mata Sita and Lakshman, having left Ayodhya to keep his father's vow, spent the very first night of their long exile; here, the tradition tells, they gave up their royal garments for the simple attire of the forest; and here, in the morning, they crossed the sacred Ganga to journey on toward the forest. So Shringverpur is a sacred station of the Ram Van Gaman Path, the very trail of Ram's exile, and a place where the great epic feels near and real; a tranquil, holy riverside, developed now with a fine park and ghats, yet still off the beaten track, where the story of Ram's love for the humble is told.

ॐNishadraj and Kevat: the Lord's love for the humble

The heart of Shringverpur is one of the most beloved stories in all the Ramayana, the story of Ram's love for the humble and the lowly. For the king of this place was Nishadraj Guha, the chief of the Nishads, the fishermen and boatmen of the river, a man of humble birth; and he was Lord Ram's devoted friend. When Ram, Sita and Lakshman came here on the first night of their exile, Nishadraj received them with boundless love and honour, offering them his home, his kingdom, all he had; and Lord Ram, the prince of Ayodhya, embraced the fisherman-king as a dear friend and an equal, so that the humble Nishadraj was lifted, by the Lord's love, above all the kings of the earth.

And then there is the beloved tale of the crossing, cherished above all in the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas. When Lord Ram would cross the Ganga, the Kevat, the humble boatman, would not take him across in his boat until he had first been allowed to wash the Lord's feet; for, he said in his sweet devotion, he had heard how the dust of Ram's feet had once turned a stone to a living woman, and he feared it might so turn his humble boat, his only living. And Lord Ram, in his boundless grace, smiled and let the boatman wash his feet; and the Kevat washed the Lord's feet with the Ganga water and drank of it, in an ecstasy of devotion, and then ferried the divine three across. And when Ram would give him a reward, the ring of Sita, the boatman refused it utterly, asking only for the Lord's love, and that at the last Ram might ferry him across the ocean of this world. The platform of Ramchura marks the sacred spot to this day. In these two, the fisherman-king and the boatman, both of the humblest birth, whom Ram embraced and loved as his own, is taught the deepest lesson of the Ramayana: that the grace of the Lord, and the heights of true devotion, know no barrier of birth or rank or caste. And it is this that the grand fifty-one-foot statue of Lord Ram embracing Nishadraj, in the Nishadraj Park, holds up for all to see.

ॐShringi Rishi and Shanta: the sage of Ram's birth

Shringverpur is bound to Lord Ram by a second and deeper thread, older even than his exile, for the place takes its very name from the great sage Shringi Rishi, Rishyasringa, who did his sadhana here. And it was this sage, the tradition tells, who performed the great Putrakameshti Yajna, the sacrifice for progeny, for King Dashrath of Ayodhya, from which, by the grace of the gods, Lord Ram and his brothers were born; so that the sage whose sacrifice brought about the very birth of Ram dwelt at this spot. And more: the sage Shringi was married to Shanta Devi, who was the daughter of King Dashrath and thus the elder sister of Lord Ram himself, so that the sage was the Lord's own brother-in-law. The Shringi Rishi Temple here, where the sage is worshipped with his wife Shanta, is believed to grant the boon of children to couples who long for them, as the sage's own yajna once gave sons to Dashrath. So Shringverpur holds both the beginning of Ram's story and the first step of his great trial.

ॐThe sites and the Ram Van Gaman Path

Shringverpur Dham has been beautifully developed, and there is much to see. Chief among them is the great fifty-one-foot statue of Lord Ram embracing Nishadraj, in the Nishadraj Tourist Park, a moving image of the friendship of God and the humble. There is the Shri Ram Ghat, and near it Ram Chaura, the place where Ram crossed the Ganga, with its lovely evening aarti; the Ram Shayan Ashram, held to be the spot where Ram slept that first night of exile; the Shringi Rishi Temple; and the ancient excavation site of the Archaeological Survey of India, where digging has uncovered the temple of Shringi Rishi and a remarkable water-management system of great antiquity, confirming that this has been a place of habitation and reverence since the deepest past. And Shringverpur is a station of the Ram Van Gaman Path, the sacred route of Ram's exile: from Ayodhya, Ram came here to Shringverpur for the first night and the crossing of the Ganga; from here he went on to the ashram of the sage Bharadwaj at Prayag; and thence to Chitrakoot. To visit Shringverpur is to walk in Ram's own footsteps.

ॐWalking in Ram's footsteps, in my own words

By Rajeev Sharma, guide with Experience My India

Shringverpur is one of the most moving places I take my pilgrims, because here the story of Ram becomes so real and so tender. I tell them: this is where Lord Ram spent the very first night of his exile, gave up his royal clothes, and crossed the Ganga. And I tell them the beautiful story of Nishadraj, the humble fisherman-king whom Ram embraced as a dear friend, and of Kevat the boatman, who washed the Lord's feet in his devotion and would take no reward. People are always deeply moved, for it teaches the greatest lesson, that Ram's love is for everyone, high or low, and that true devotion knows no caste. I show them the great statue of Ram embracing Nishadraj, and it brings tears.

And I tell them the deeper secret, that this place is named for Shringi Rishi, whose yajna gave Dashrath his sons, so that Ram was born because of this sage, who was married to Ram's own sister Shanta. And I love, above all, to fit Shringverpur into the whole trail of the exile, the Ram Van Gaman Path: I bring my pilgrims from Ayodhya, where the exile began, here to Shringverpur for the first night and the crossing, then to the Bharadwaj Ashram at Prayag, following Ram's own steps. It is a half-day trip from Prayag, well worth it, and I never let a devotee of Ram who is serious about the exile trail miss it.

In more than forty years of guiding, walking pilgrims through Ram's first night of exile and his love for the humble here is among the most moving things I do.

ॐWhat to see and do

• Behold the 51-foot statue of Lord Ram embracing Nishadraj, in the Nishadraj Park.
• Visit Shri Ram Ghat and Ram Chaura, where Ram crossed the Ganga, and the evening aarti.
• Bow at the Shringi Rishi Temple, of the sage of Ram's birth, with Shanta Devi.
• See the Ram Shayan Ashram, where Ram slept the first night, and the ASI excavation site.
• Follow the Ram Van Gaman Path, from Ayodhya to Shringverpur to Prayag.

ॐHow to reach Shringverpur

Shringverpur is at Singraur, on the Ganga, about 40 km from the centre of Prayagraj on the Lucknow road, about an hour to an hour and a half by road; it is best reached by taxi or a planned trip, or by local buses heading toward Lucknow.

It is best done as a half-day excursion from Prayagraj.

ॐBest time to visit and how to plan it

• Plan it as a half-day trip from Prayagraj, ideally on the Ram Van Gaman Path with the Bharadwaj Ashram.
• Allow 2 to 3 hours at the site; carry water, and modest, comfortable clothes for the day out.

For Prayagraj, the Ram exile trail, or a combined Kashi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj pilgrimage, planned end to end, see our tour packages.

ॐAccessibility for elderly and mobility limited visitors

• It is a road excursion; the drive is easy, and the park and Dham are largely level and manageable.
• The ghat and some sites involve steps; a helper is useful, and much can be seen without the descents.
• The calm, uncrowded setting suits a gentle, restful day out for elderly pilgrims.
• We arrange a comfortable car, the whole excursion and a gentle pace within your Prayagraj trip.

ॐEtiquette for visiting

• It is a sacred Ram site; dress modestly and keep a respectful demeanour.
• Be reverent at the ghat, the aarti and the temples; join the aarti gently if you wish.
• Do not litter; carry your trash with you to help keep this holy place clean.
• Mind the river and the steps at the ghat, and keep children close.

ॐOur guided visits, the exile trail and Prayagraj tours

We are a Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj based operator, a unit of Experience My India, with more than forty years of guiding pilgrims across all three holy cities, and our own local guide in Prayagraj. Entry is free, so what we offer is the story, the transport and the planning: a comfortable half-day excursion to Shringverpur with a guide who tells the moving story of Nishadraj and Kevat and Ram's love for the humble, and, above all, the whole Ram Van Gaman Path, the trail of the exile from Ayodhya to Shringverpur to Prayag, for the devotees of Ram who wish to walk in his footsteps.

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 transport. See all our tour packages for the full range.

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

ॐNearby sites and the exile trail

Shringverpur is a station of the Ram Van Gaman Path, the trail of Ram's exile.

For the next halt of the exile at Prayag, see our Bharadwaj Ashram guide.