In under ten years Chitrakoot could be the most visited religious place on the planet. That distinction is currently held by the Mahakal in Ujjain.
With 138 million footfalls in FY 2025-26, Mahakal is more than the combined footfalls of Vatican, Jerusalem and Mecca. It is also more than Ayodhya, Varanasi, Vrindavan, Golden Temple, Puri, Khajuraho or Madurai.
But can it sustain ? The unfortunate answer is no. It is all about infrastructure. Once the foundation is faulty, the building above cannot rise endlessly. Vrindavan is a classic case. A lethal combination of local real estate mafia, ineffective regulations and private temples have made the entire city into a slum. The river is polluted. The sewage system is collapsing. Pilgrim experience is pathetic. Ujjain is going the same way.
Chitrakoot on the other hand has a cultural and religious significance like no other place on the planet. Brahma created the universe from nearby. Lord Ram spent eleven years here in exile. Tulsidas wrote the Ramcharitmanas right here. Dattatreya was born here. Rishi Atri Anusuya lived here. Sita got her Divya robes here. The fish in the pond do not accept grain from beef eaters. The secret Godavari appears in a cave out of nowhere and disappears. The forests untouched by man, hold over 150 ayurvedic species, over 250 animal and bird species and an area of 3000 sq kms has under half a million human beings.
Chitrakoot means the mountain of knowledge and the area is steeped in expertise on the indian knowledge systems. There is no branded hotel. And the river Mandakini which is said to have come here from heaven emerges from a hidden ground source literally out of nowhere. The 120 km long Mandakini Ganga comes out of its heavenly source and then move northward to merge into the Yamuna. The eye hospital here is only second to Arvind Netralaya. The dental hospital among the best in the world. And the Arogyadham forages fresh herbs to make authentic classical recipes.
With 8 million footfalls, it is devoid of the damage inflicted by 138 million in Ujjain. And with imminent regulations in process to ban all constructions, eliminate single use plastics and rejuvenate the Mandakini – the five km Parikrama around an entire mountain that is worshipped – is a holy place like no other. It is not ritualistic or idol based.
It is the kind of place that rises over religion without losing spirituality. It has history without its baggage. And a future without limit.
The city if one can call it one is now crowd sourcing its own development master plan and implementing its own ecological restoration strategy. A citizen effort devoid of government intervention and independent of public funding. It is a change orientation like no other.
And the first Vishwasthal for the World Wisdom Forum. As a crowdsourced initiative, it is set to establish a new developmental paradigm and a holistic ecological rejuvenation plan.
This is one city to be watched.
