By: Kushagra Aniket and Rudra Vikrama Srivastava

The inauguration of the Ayodhya Rama Mandir on January 22, 2024, captured global attention. It marked a milestone not just in temple construction, but in India’s civilizational story—one shaped by cultural memory and spiritual yearning across centuries. Behind this monumental event lies a quieter, long-standing tradition told through temples, poetry, and inscriptions: the transformation of Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, into a revered deity worshiped across the Indian subcontinent.

In December 2024, we made a breakthrough while conducting fieldwork at Garhwa Fort in Prayagraj. There, we uncovered a previously unidentified 11th-century stone inscription issued under Chandela ruler Kīrttivarman. After reconstructing and translating it, we found it to be the earliest known eulogistic inscription (praśasti) dedicated to Rama. The record describes a ceremonial procession during the festival of ‘Rama Navami’ and the construction of a temple in his honor.

The inscription not only identifies Rama with Vishnu but also reveals that as early as the 11th century—well before the Bhakti movement gained momentum in North India—devotional celebrations and poetic praise of Rama had already been institutionalized. Since Garhwa is associated with Rama’s exile journey, the discovery affirms how sacred geography, local memory, and royal patronage helped shape Rama worship into a living tradition. The site had previously yielded a 5th-century Gupta inscription referring to Rama as ‘Chitrakuta-svamin’, showing that veneration of Rama existed even then.

Our recent discovery reinforces the continuity of this tradition. The inscription notes that Garhwa was a resting place for Rama, Sita, and Lakshman during their exile. By correlating this record with Valmiki’s ‘Ramayana’, we have identified Garhwa as Rama’s campsite after crossing the Yamuna en route to Chitrakoot. The location, long forgotten, has now reemerged as a vital link in the epic’s sacred geography. We also retranslated a 9th-century inscription from the same site, first reported by Alexander Cunningham, which is carved onto the pedestal of a colossal Vishnu idol. It refers to Rama as a synonym for Vishnu, reflecting the deep roots of Rama devotion during the post-Gupta era.

Rama worship is not tied to a single place or period. Long before medieval vernacular ‘Ramayanas’ were composed, his worship was widespread—from Chola temples in Tamilakam to Kalachuri records in Central India. Many ancient Vishnu temples along routes connected to Rama’s exile were later transformed into Rama shrines. These connections were not merely devotional—they were communal, spatial, and political, often linked to festivals and the idea of divine kingship.

In Tamilakam, Rama was worshiped as ‘Kottanda Rama’ (Rama with the bow), and temples dedicated to him can be traced to the early 10th century during the reign of Parantaka I. These examples show that Rama was integrated into South Indian Vaishnava temple networks and royal ideologies long before poets like Kamban or Tulsidas reimagined his story. Rama is not just a literary or religious figure—he is a living presence in Indian art, culture, and everyday life. His worship has remained a unifying thread through evolving political, cultural, and linguistic landscapes.

Some modern scholars argue that Rama’s rise as a symbol of royal virtue was shaped largely by medieval Hindu-Muslim rivalry. However, our findings challenge this view. Rama was celebrated as an ideal king as early as the Gupta period. The Garhwa inscription, for instance, commemorates Rama during a Chandela military triumph over the Kalachuri—two Hindu dynasties. This suggests Rama’s ideals were invoked across political contexts, not simply as a reactive symbol but as a proactive cultural model. Rama’s image as a righteous king, warrior, and deity was adaptable to varied local and historical narratives.

Our project to trace the antiquity of Rama worship highlights how collaborative efforts—including those by scholars in the diaspora—can play a powerful role in preserving India’s civilizational legacy. We focus on the ‘archaeology of worship’, encompassing devotional inscriptions, temple architecture, and iconography. By combining on-the-ground fieldwork with international research, our work illustrates how global collaboration can uncover and safeguard India’s sacred heritage.

Rama’s influence reaches far beyond scripture. He lives in sculpture, festival chants, temple rituals, popular retellings, and sacred landscapes. As India moves toward its centennial of independence in 2047, efforts to recover and celebrate such deep-rooted traditions become all the more essential. They remind us that heritage is not static; it evolves through memory, devotion, and rediscovery.

Author bios

Kushagra Aniket is a New York–based economist, management consultant, and scholar of classical languages. He is the co-author of Krishna Niti: Timeless Strategic Wisdom (2024).

Rudra Vikrama Srivastava is an archaeologist and epigraphist based in India. He specializes in early medieval Indian political-religious history.