S3/E3: Jatinga-Rameshwara — The Climb and The Revelation
Partway up a steep, deserted hill, two strangers resting in the shade pointed across the valley and said: that's where the bird Jatayu lived.
That sentence is the reason this episode exists. We went looking for a third Ashokan edict. We came back with a Ramayana connection nobody had prepared us for — confirmed, in part, not by oral tradition alone, but by the Archaeological Survey of India's own signboard.
This is Episode 3 of Series 3 — Jatinga-Rameshwara.
The Story
After a simple breakfast in Chitradurga, we set out for Jatinga-Rameshwara — a hill roughly 5 miles northwest of Brahmagiri, easy enough to find on Google Maps, but a serious climb once you're there. It was hot. The base was deserted. We started up.
About half an hour in, we found a few men sitting on the stone steps, resting in the shade of a tree. We asked about the climb. It turned out they were ASI-certified guides — and they offered to climb the rest of the way with us.
Partway up, they stopped. They pointed across to an adjoining hill and told us: that is where the bird Jatayu lived. According to their account, Jatayu heard Sita's screams as Ravana carried her away, and flew from that hill to fight him.
This landed harder than they probably expected it to. We had stood at Rishimukha, near Hampi, where tradition holds that Sita dropped her earrings as Ravana flew overhead. For the guides' story to hold up geographically, this hill would need to sit on something close to a straight line from Rishimukha — the path a bird, or a falling earring, might actually take. We marked it down to check properly. (We did — that test is the subject of Episode 5.)
At the top, we found an ASI signboard that settled something important: this wasn't just a story passed down by guides. The board itself states, in writing, that this is where the connection to the Ramayana is recorded — alongside the technical details of the Ashokan edict on the same hilltop, the elevation, and the region's pre-historic occupation. When a government survey board repeats what local memory has been saying, the line between Lipi and Nambikke starts to blur in the best possible way.
Two small Shiva temples sit at the summit, said to house lingas installed by Rama himself in memory of Jatayu. Both doors were locked — the archakka hadn't arrived yet that morning — so we only caught a glimpse of one linga through the gap in the door. Why there are two lingas, not one, is its own story, and we're saving it for the next episode.
One thing we want to be honest about: this isn't the only place associated with Jatayu's death. Jatayumangalam, in Kerala, carries a strong and well-known tradition of its own — that Jatayu, his wings cut by Ravana, fell and died there. It's possible both traditions are pointing at different moments of the same fight: the battle beginning here at Jatinga-Rameshwara, perhaps half an hour from Rishimukha as the crow flies, with Jatayu mortally wounded and falling much further away, near Jatayumangalam. We haven't verified that connection in the field yet — it's on our list for a future visit.
Key Insights
Lipi: The Ashokan edict here is the third in the Brahmagiri–Siddapura–Jatinga-Rameshwara cluster, all part of the same Mauryan administrative network. The ASI's own signboard goes further than the inscription alone — it formally records the site's Ramayana association in writing, which is a rare instance of an official document carrying what is otherwise oral memory.
Nambikke: The Jatayu story came to us the way most living tradition does — casually, from local guides resting on the steps, not from any plaque or publication. It's the kind of knowledge that exists because people keep climbing and keep telling it.
The open question: Jatinga-Rameshwara and Jatayumangalam (Kerala) both carry strong claims to Jatayu's story. We're not resolving that here — we're flagging it honestly, and it's a thread we intend to pull on in a future field visit.
Travel Information
Location: Jatinga-Rameshwara hill, approximately 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Brahmagiri, near Chitradurga, Karnataka. Findable via Google Maps.
How to reach: A genuine climb — stone steps most of the way, steep in sections. Allow close to an hour at a steady pace, more if you stop often; the heat adds to the difficulty.
Best time to visit: Early morning, before the heat builds. The base of the hill has little shade.
What to bring: Water, sun protection, and proper footwear for a real ascent — this is not a casual walk.
A tip: ASI-certified guides are sometimes available at the site, occasionally resting along the steps partway up. If you meet one, it's worth asking — ours added context we wouldn't have found on our own.
Nearby sites: Brahmagiri (Episode 1) and Siddapura (Episode 2) complete this three-edict cluster.
Watch the Field Visit
See the climb, the ASI board, and the temples at the summit:
- 📱 Instagram @timelenspodcast
- ▶️ YouTube — TimeLensPodcast Series 3 playlist
- 🎵 TikTok @timelenspodcast
- 👥 Facebook @timelenspodcast
Listen to the Full Episode
The full investigation — the climb, the guides, the ASI board, and the Rishimukha geography test — is on all podcast platforms:
- 🎧 Spotify — S3/E3 Jatinga-Rameshwara
- 🎧 Apple Podcasts — S3/E3 Jatinga-Rameshwara
- 🎧 Amazon Music — TimeLensPodcast
Series 3 — Ashokan Minor Rock Edicts near Chitradurga
- S3/E1 — Brahmagiri: An Emperor's Message in the Middle of Nowhere
- S3/E2 — Siddapura: Deeper Into Nowhere
- S3/E3 — Jatinga-Rameshwara: The Climb and The Revelation ← you are here
- S3/E4 — The Two Shivalingas: Rama, Jatayu and Hanuman
- S3/E5 — Rama's Two Trails — Rama's Seal on a Rock?
- S3/E6 — The Marketplace on the Hill
- S3/E7 — The Brahmagiri Revelation
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