The Ramayana is a story that every Indian knows,” author Amish Tripathi tells mid-day, recalling a line he heard once about the epic being a story that all Indians are born with. “No Indian hears it for the first time because it is so ancient.” And yet, he says, despite the familiarity, the details of many of its locations, characters and stories remain hidden. Tripathi, whose abiding interest in the mythological is well-known, has been roped in as an anchor for Discovery+’s new docu series Legends of The Ramayana. It will see him follow in the footsteps of Lord Ram, unearthing facts and legends about his epic travels with inputs from historians, mythological researchers and environmentalists. “What I liked most about the show’s concept is that it is ancient and modern at the same time, because we are delving deep into the past and yet in a modern, rational and respectful way.”

The series led Tripathi across 5,000 kms in a bid to retrace the king of Ayodhya’s journey, a process which revealed that many details in the Valmiki Ramayana were, in fact, true. For instance, Tripathi cites, the text speaks of the Gupt Godavari on the outskirts of Chitrakoot, comprising mountain caves through which flows an underground river and where Ram along with Sita and Lakshman is believed to have stayed during their exile. While many may not believe that it exists, Tripathi shares that he shot in the location with hydrogeologist Dr Ritesh Arya, who helped trace the geological roots of the cavern and the mysterious river. They also shot at Rameswaram with an expert detailing how the Rama Setu, connecting India to Sri Lanka, could have been built, showing coral reef stones strong enough for construction and yet light enough to float on water. They also filmed in Sigiriya in Sri Lanka, the fabled capital of Raavan, an allusion to which, Tripathi recalls, found place in his own book Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta.