Bharat Milap!
Brothers are knit together,heart & soul!
So also, Sri Ram and his brother's Bharat,lakshman, Shatrughna shared a warm filial bond & Sri Ram being the eldest was respected by all his brothers, inspite of the machinations of Queen Kaikeyi & her maid manthara to make Bharat the king of Ayodhya.When Sri Ram went into exile,Bharat kept his wooden slippers "khadau" on the throne & ruled on behalf of Sri Ram.After the period of exile,Sri Ram & Sita returned after defeating Ravanna on Dussherra,Bharat met his brother to persuade him to return to Ayodhya as the rightful king.This meeting has been described by both sage Valmiki & later by Sant Tulsidas as "Bharat Milap".
The Bharat Milap is part of the Ramcharitmanas written by Goswami Tulsidas.According to folklore,one of his disciples in Benares, named Megha Bhagat started the dramatization of this poignant episode where Bharat meets Lord Ram to persuade him to return to Ayodhya as it's rightful king.
Bharat Milap temple in Chitrakoot is believed to be built on the spot where Bharat met Lord Rama during his period of exile to persuade him to return to the throne of Ayodhya.
It is said that the meeting of four brothers was so overwhelming that even the rocks and mountains of Chitrakoot melted. Footprints of Lord Rama and his brothers imprinted on the rocks can still be seen at the Bharat Milap Temple.
Celebrating Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and His reunion with His brother Bharat, the Bharat Milap festival is held one day following Dussehra in Varanasi.
The Bharat Milap festivity is composed with colourful pageantry and devotion. This celebration is held every year at NatiImli in Varanasi and the RamLila at the Ramnagar Fort.
One of the most attractive event of Bharat Milap is the presence of Kashi Naresh resplendant in his royal attire and participating in the festivities at "nati imli" maidan.
