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Ayodhya, a very holy city and is an important pilgrimage site.
Lord Rama was born and had many of His pastimes here. It is
said to have once had a perimeter of 96 m iles
and was the capital of Koshala. It is on the banks of the
Gogra (Ghaghara or Saryu) River, bathing in which is supposed
to destory even the sin of killing a Brahmin.On the right bank
of the river Ghagra or Saryu, as it is called within sacred
precincts, stands the holy city of Ayodhya, believed to be the
birth place of lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of lord
Vishnu. Ayodhya during ancient times was known as Kosaldesa.
The Atharvaveda describes it as "a city built by gods and
being as prosperous as paradise itself". The illustrious
Ikshvaku of the solar clan (suryavamsa) was the ruling dynasty
of this region.
Ayodhya is pre-eminently a city of temples yet, all the places
of worship here, are not only of Hindu religion. At Ayodhya
several religions have grown and prospered simultaneously and
also at different periods of time in the past. Remnants of
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam can still be found in
Ayodhya. According to Jain belief, five tirthankaras were born
at Ayodhya, including Adinath (Rishabhadeva), the 1st
tirthankar.
Prime Pilgrimage Attractions
Janmabhoomi
Rama Janma Bhoomi is where Lord Rama was said to have taken
birth. There is a small Lord Rama temple here. At this
location there used to be the Babri Moseque, which was
constructed in the 15th century by the Moghuls. The mosque was
destroyed in 1992, and at the present time there are plans to
built a grand Rama Temple here.
Guptar Ghat
At Guptar Ghat there are some nice temples, and nearby there
is a nice park. Gupta means disappearance. It is said that
Rama left His body at this place. There are a few nice temples
here, one called Chakra Harji Vishnu and Gupta Harji, and
other called Raja Mandir. There are many Deities in the Chakra
Harji Vishnu Temple, including what appears to be a very old
carved Chakra Harji Vishnu Deity. There is also an imprint of
Sri Rama's feet here.
Ramkot
The chief place of worship in Ayodhya is the site of the
ancient citadel of Ramkot, which stands on an elevated ground
in the western part of the city. Although visited by pilgrims
through out the year, this sacred place attracts devotees from
all over India and abroad, on 'Ramnavami', the day of the
lord's birth, which is celebrated with great pomp and show, in
the Hindu month of Chaitra (March-April).
The Hanuman Garhi
Situated in the centre of the town, this temple is
approachable by a flight of 76 steps. Legend has it that
Hanuman lived here, in a cave and gu arded
the Janmabhoomi or Ramkot. The main temple contains the statue
of Anjani, with child Hanuman, seated on her lap. The devotees
believe that all their wishes will be granted with a visit to
this holy shrine. A massive structure in the shape of a
four-sided fort with circular bastions at each corner , houses
a temple of Hanuman and is the most popular shrine in Ayodhya.
Treta-Ke-Thakur
This temple stands at the place, where Rama is said to have
performed the Ashvamedha Yagya. About 300 years ago, the Raja
of Kullu built a new temple here, which was improved by
Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, during 1784. At the same time, the
adjoining ghats were also built. The initial idols in black
sandstone were recovered from Saryu and placed in the new
temple, famous as Kaleram-ka-Mandir.
Nageshwarnath Temple
The temple of Nageshwarnath is said to have been established
by Kush, the son of Rama. Legend has it that Kush lost his
armlet, while bathing in the river Saryu, which was picked up
by a nag-kanya, who fell in love with him. As she was a
devotee of Shiva, Kush erected this temple for her. It is said
that this is the only temple to have survived till the time of
Vikramaditya, the rest of city had fallen into ruins and was
covered by dense forests. It was by means of this temple that
Vikramaditya was able to locate Ayodhya and the sites of
different shrines here. The festival of Shivratri is
celebrated here with great pomp & show.
Other Pilgrimage Attractions
There is a nice area by the river surrounding Lakshman Ghat.
Lakshman, the brother of Rama, is said to have bathed at
Lakshman Ghat.Vasistha Kund is a temple with a small round
kund like a well. Rama is said to have performed a yajna
(sacrifice) at Treta Ka Mandir. There are Sita-Rama Deities in
this temple. Kaushalya, the mother of Rama, is said to have
established the Kshireswara Nath Temple for Sita. Bharata Kund,
at Nandigram, 20 km from Ayodhya, is said to be the place
where Bharata ruled while Rama was in exile for 14 years. A
half km north of Janmabhoomi is Swarga Dwara, or Ram Ghat,
which is an important bathing ghat.
How to Get there
Air For Ayodhya the nearest airports are Amausi,
Bumrauli and Babatpur
Rail Ayodhya is situated on the broad gauge northern
railway line on Mughal Sarai- Lucknow main route. Ayodhya/Faizabad
are connected to various parts of the country by rail lines.
Road Connected by road to several major cities and towns
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