Ayodhya

The name Ayodhyā literally means "invincible" in Sanskrit, which is derived from the root yudh ("to fight, to wage war"). Historically, Ayodhya was also known as Saketa, which was widespread by Buddhist travellers and faraway traders.

The Ramayana epic describes Lord Rama's 14-year exile, his victory over evil and his grand return with his wife Sita to Ayodhya to become king. This return to Ayodhya is celebrated as Diwali, the leading festival of hundreds of millions of Hindus world-wide. Consequently, Lord Rama's reign over Ayodhya and its surroundings, called Rama Rajya, is the epitome of good governance and moral society in the Hindu tradition.

The story of Rama has transcended into a great inspirational story and parable for children and adults around the world. Ayodhya has come to symbolise inner peace, joy and spiritual upliftment.

Former Thai capital of Ayutthaya and the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta are named after Ayodhya.

Ayodhya's history has also been marked by Hindu-Muslim disputes about a temple and mosque. In 1527, the Mughal Emperor Babur had a temple destroyed and a mosque constructed at the site in Ayodhya traditionally associated with the birth of Rama. Since then, the Babri Masjid became a focal point of grievances and disputes. The mosque was ultimately destroyed by Hindu demonstrators in 1992. Following the destruction, there were large riots in Gujarat and terrorist acts (including the Godhra train massacre, which triggered the Gujarat riots, and the 2005 Ram Janmabhoomi attack in Ayodhya). Following the rise of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government under Narendra Modi in 2014, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of awarding the site to the Hindus, while the Muslims were given an alternative site to build a replacement mosque.

• Rama and Ayodhya by Meenakshi Jain. This book contains a detailed study of the religious and social history of Ayodhya.
• Ayodhya: The Case Against the Temple (2002) by Koenraad Elst. A very readable account of the socio-political issues concerning Ayodhya and the Ram temple in the late 20th century by a Belgian Indologist. ISBN 81-85990-7
• The Ayodhya Temple Mosque Dispute: Focus on Muslim Sources by Harsh Narain. This book contains descriptions of the city of Ayodhya by Muslim historians and writers from past centuries.

• Regional Tourist Office, 1-3/152/4, Civil Lines, Faizabad (near Pusparaj Guest House), ☏ +91 5278 223214. (updated Dec 2023)
• Government of UP Assistant Tourist Office, Pathik Niwas Saket (near Ayodhya Junction), ☏ +91 5278 232435. (updated Dec 2023)

• 🌍 Maharishi Valmiki International Airport Ayodhya Dham (AYJ  ^IATA) (close to NH 27 and NH 330). (updated Dec 2023)

Ayodhya and Faizabad ares served by 🌍 Ayodhya Junction and 🌍 Ayodhya Cantt respectively. Trains are available from Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi and Prayagraj. Some important express trains to Ayodhya Junction or Ayodhya Cantt include:

• From Amritsar: Saryu Yamuna Express
• From Gorakhpur: Lucknow Vande Bharat Express
• From Delhi: Raxaul Sadbhavana Express, Malda Town Farakka Express
• From Kolkata: Doon Express, Jammu Tawi Express
• From Lucknow: Gorakhpur Vande Bharat Express
• From Varanasi: Marudhar Express, Sabarmati Express

The city is about 130 km from Lucknow, 200 km from Varanasi, 160 km from Prayagraj, 140 km from Gorakhpur and about 636 km from Delhi. Buses are frequently available from Lucknow, Delhi and Gorakhpur. Buses are also available from Varanasi, Prayagraj and other places.

• Choti Chawni. A very big temple made by 100% white marble. 
• 🌍 Hanuman Garhi Temple, Sai Nagar (Right in the center of the town), ☏ +91 97926 02105. Visitors to Ayodhya must make a move towards Hanuman Garhi. It is a massive structure in the shape of a four-sided fort with circular bastions at each corner. The temple is highly revered for its imposing architecture and its religious value. (updated Dec 2023)
• 🌍 Kanak Bhawan (Palace of Gold) (Near Hanuman Garhi). The Bhawan is frequented by scores of visitors every year. The temple is widely known for the images of Sri Rama and Sita wearing gold crowns and because of this the Bhawan is also referred to as Sone-ka-Ghar. 
• 🌍 Nageshwarnath Temple (On the bank of the river, on the east side of town). 5AM-11AM, noon-8PM. It is said to be built by Kush, Lord Rama's son. Legend has it that he almost destroyed the water-living Nagas (semi-divine snake people) because he suspected them of stealing his amulet. Only Lord Shiva's intervention saved the semi-divine snakes. Khush then established this temple showing the Nagas worshipping Lord Shiva, his father's favourite deity. Another version of this legend states that the lost amulet was found by a Nag-kanya (young girl from the Naga tribe), who fell in love with him, and as she was Lord Shiva's devotee he constructed this temple for her. 
• Ramrekha Temple. (updated Dec 2023)
• Treta ke Thakur. It is a temple that stands at the place where Rama is said to have performed the Ashwamedha Yagna. The Raja of Kulu is said to have built a new temple here about 300 years ago called Kaleram ka Mandir, where the idols of Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Bharat have reportedly been carved out of a single block of black sandstone. These idols are supposed to be from the original Rama temple, which once stood on the banks of the River Sarayu. 
• Vijayraghaw temple (Shri Vishwa Virat Vijay Raghav Mandir), Nayaghat (In front of Punjab National Bank). It is one of the best temple in Ayodhya, build in 2008. In this temple god Ram presented in 12 faces called Viswa-virat(world's big). This temple made by red marbles and stainless steel. 

Ayodhya being a sacred religious place, has lots to offer to a spiritual mind. Some of the fairs and festivals Ayodhya is famous for are

• Chaturdashkoshi Parikrama. Constitutes a circular journey of 28 miles made once a year on the occasion of Akshainaumi, which is completed within 24 hours. 
• Ram Lila. The enactment of the story of Lord Rama is believed to have been started by great Saint Tulsidas. The Ramcharitmanas, written by him till today forms the basis of Ram Lila performances. In some places, Rama Lila is associated with Vijayadashmi celebrations in late September and early October and also with Rama Navami, the birthday of Lord Rama. Ram lila, basically an enactment of a myth, is presented as a cycle-play with the story varying from 7 to 31 days. The Rama Lila performance evokes a festive atmosphere and enables observance of religious rites. It is also rich in performance of crafts such as costume jewellery, masks, headgear, make-up and decoration. The four main Ram Lila styles are the pantomimic style with a predominance of jhankis based style with multi-local staging; the operative style which draws its musical elements from the folk operas of the region and the stage, Ram Lila of the professional troupes called mandalis. Ayodhya is popular for mandali Ram Lila. The performance is dialogue – based and presented on a platform stage. High standard of performance is complemented by songs and kathak dances and eye-catching décor. 
• Ram Navmi Mela. Ayodhya, the holy city of the sacred pilgrim centre of Hindus plays host to the Ram Navmi Festival in the month of April. Thousands of worshippers gather to venerate the Lord at Kanak Bhawan. 
• Sravan Jhula Mela. This mela celebrates the playful spirit of the deities. On the third day of the second half of Shravan, images of the deities (specially of Rama, Lakshman and Sita) are placed in swings in the temples. They are also taken to Mani Parvat, where the idols are made to swing from the branches of the trees. Later the deities are brought back to temples. The mela lasts till the end of the month of Shravan. 
• Parikramas. Ayodhya is perhaps the most noted place in the northern India where parikramas are undertaken by Hindu Pilgrims. These are circumambulations of important religious places and are of varying duration, shortest being the `Antargrahi Parikrama’ which has to be completed within a day. After taking a dip in the Saryu, the devotee commences the parikarma from the Nageshwarnath temple and passes through Rama Ghat, Sita Kund, Manipuravata and Brahma Kund, finally terminating at Kanak Bhawan. Then there is the `Panchkoshi Parikrama’ circuit of 10 miles, which touches Chakratirtha, Nayaghat, Ramghat, Saryubagh, Holkar-ka-pura, Dashrathkund, Jogiana, Ranopali, Jalpa Nala and Mahtabagh. On the way the people pay homage to deities in the shrines which are situated on the route.