Uttarakhand is soon going to take you back to the land of Ramayana and Mahabharata

The state's tourism department is going to build special tourism circuits around Indian epics.

Mana, a village in Uttarakhand. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Shail Rao-Rane

The legends of Mahabharata and Ramayana have been part of the growing up years for most of us. Tapping on this very nostalgia, Uttarakhand government is attempting to build special tourism circuits to showcase the epic 'connection' in the state.

Starting from Mana, believed to have been the abode of Ved Vyas, to the Jaunsar region, bordering Himachal Pradesh--the regions will now be turned into a new tourist circuit, reported Hindustan Times. Drawing on the stories of the Pandavas, the circuit will span around 250-300 km, from north-west to north-east of the state.

Among the tourist spots to be highlighted in the road map are Vyas Pothi, the cave where Ved Vyas lived, Pandukshewar temple area, believed to have been Prince Pandu's dwelling after abandoning his kingdom; and the birth place of Pandavas, on the way to Badrinath.

"Apart from Mana and Pandukeshwar, Hanuman Chatti, 20 km from Joshimath is another Mahabharata site where Bheem and Lord Hanuman are said to have met and the latter blessed his brother for victory in the war," said Uttarakhand tourism minister, Satpal Maharaj.

A similar circuit will also be built around the legend of Ramayana, said the minister. The circuit will include the foothills of Rishikesh and Chamoli, from where Hanuman had, according to legend, procured the life-saving Sanjeevani herb to save Lakshmana.