AYODHYA is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu River in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh.
The name “AYODHYA” which means “not to be warred against” comes from king Ayudh, who is believed to have been the first forerathers of Shree Ram. AYODHYA has been blessed with a syncretic culture. Settled on the bank of thr river saryu, the ancient city of Ayodhya is the birth place of Shree ram, the seventh incarnation of lord Vishnu. Ayodhya is revered as one of the seven Mokshdayini Saptpuris or the seven noble thirth for hindus. The legendary city beckons spritiual seekers with its picturesque ghats, stunning temples, and beautiful aartis. The Atharva veda describes it as the unconquerable city of gods and compare its prosperity with that of heaven.
Pilgrimage Places in Ayodhya
Shree Ram Temple
Ram temple will stand tall at 161 feet and its three floor will be supported by 318 pillars, featuring intricately carved idols of Hindu deities. The proposed width of the temple is 140 feet, spread over 69 acres, the temple will have multiple areas where devotees will be able to sit and pray. The structure will be designed to facilitate devotees with a parikarma around the sanctum sanctorum. The temple is also going to feature a Singh dwar, a garbhagriha, Nritya dwar and Ranga mandapa. Also in the works to be built in the vicinity of the temple will be cowshed, resthouse and vedic institute along with other religious building.
Hanuman Garhi
It is a still haul up to reach the second most important temple in ayodhya. This fortified structure with bastions in each corner mark the shrine dedicated to Hanumanji, a devotee and fierce protector of Shree Ram. Pilgrims had to first visit Shree Rams shrine. The story is that Hanuman is also a protector of Ayodhya from his vantage point on Ramkot.
Kanank Bhawan
The kanank Mahal was gifted by Raja Dashrathas queen Kaikeyi, for her Daughter in law Sita, wife of Lord Ram, king Vikramaditya rebuilt it after it was damaged. Kanank bbhawan was once again rebuilt by Rani Vrisbhanu Kunwari. The current structure is maintained by the tikamgarh and Orccha royals who are its trustees. The sanctum is home to statues of Shree Ram and Goddess Sita in Kanank Bhawan which lies northeast of the Ram janama bhoomi site. One of the Antargarhi parikarma. Pilgrims First Bath in the Saryu then move on to the Nageshwarnath temple, Ram ghat, Sita kund, Mani Parbat and Brahma Kund, before arriving at the Kanank bhawan.
Nageshwarnath Temple
The much Revered Nageshwarnath Temple, close to Ram – ki –pairi is believed to have been established by Shree rams son kuch. The temples name is an allusion to lord Shiva, who is often depicted with the serpent king Vasuki around his neck. The main attraction at this temple is the grand occasion of Mahashivratri, when there is a swarm of devotees to watch the splendid shiv baraat procession that is taken out during the celebration.
Kaale Ram Mandir
A Little known mandir in the nook and crannies of the ram ki pairi, this tiny temple is situated behind the nageshwar nath temple. They say that one visit to thisquaint temple dedicated to the dark complexioned ram will have ones’s prayer answered. The famous sandhya aarti at this temple continues to draw determined devotees despite its obscurity. Its counterpart dedicated to the fair complexioned ram, the gore ram mandir is situated close by.
Mani Parbat
Mani parbat is associated with the episode in the Ramayana about lakshmana being wounded in the battle with meghnada, and the only medicine that was any good to revive the dying warrior prince was the sanjeevani buti. When hanuman rushed back with the uprooted mountain on which the healing herb was growing a chunk of the mountain fell off at this spot that we know today as the much venerated Mani parbat. The mound is crowded with many shrines big and small. The shravan jhula mela festival is a big draw for devotees here during the rainy season.
Treta Ka Thakur Shrine
Dedicated to ram, it marks the site where the lord of the Treta Yug is said to have conducted the Ashwamedha sacrifice to celebrate his victory over Ravana. The shrine also features idols of sita ramas younger brother lakshmana, bharata and shatrughna, hs guru vasistha, king sugriva and hanuman. The new temple as built by the raja of kullu on the site over three centuries ago and later improved upon by the Ahilya Bai Holkar of indore.
Valmiki Bhawan
The sage Valmiki immortalized the narrative of shree ram’s life and times in his great epic, The Ramayana. The marbe walls at the valmiki bhawan, another spot popular with devotees and tourists alike, are inscribed with shlokas of the story of the Ramayana as described by the sage.
Panchmukhi Mahadev Mandir
Situated near the bank of the legendary Guptar ghat, the Panchmukhi, mahadev mandir is know to have been established by none other than shree ram himself. Recognised as one of the oldest temple in the town, a five faced shiva idol adorns the main shrine while the other temples of Sitaram, Radhakrishna and Hanuman exist within the temples premises.
Chakra Harji Vishnu Temple
Prime among the temple close to the Guptar Ghat is the Chakra harji Vishnu temple. The structure houses idol of a number of deities, including a really old carved idol of Vishnu with a chakra and a pair of imprints which is believed to be Ram’s.
Makhaura Dham
An underexplored but important historical landmark with deep mythological significance, the makhaura dham lies less than an hour’s drive away from Ayodhya, in Basti districts harraiya tehsil. Raja Dashratha, advised by rishi vashishtha is said to have carried out the putreshti yajna here along with his son-in-law, sage rishyasringa, which resulted in the queens kaushalya, sumitra and kaikeyi giving birth to princess ram, lakshman, bharat and shatrughan.
Ram Rekha Temple
The ram rekha temple is believed to have served as a resting place for the attendees of the vivaah of Shree ram and sitaji. As the co-travellers grew weary and thirsty, shree ram is said to have slaked their thirst by creating a line by shooting an arrow into the ground. The line in the ground yielided a divine water body known as the river ramrekha and the place come to be known as the Ramrekha teerth.
Janaki Mahal
The Janaki mahal is the epicenter of culture and religion, with a history that goes back thousands of the years. It is believed that the mahal used to be just that an exquisite palace with rich architecture and splendorous décor. The temple campus is neat, clean and well maintained. A beautifully decorated statue of goddess janaki devi is situated in the sanctum of the temple, which plays host to bhajans and aartis in the evening.
Ghats And Kunds
Ram Ki Pairi/ Naya Ghats
Ram ki pairi is situated on the ghat of Saryu River. In evening saryu ji aarti commences here. A mesmerizing view from the bank of the Saryu River can be enjoyed best from the ram ki pairi ghat. Technically a flight of step on the naya ghat, the divine charm of ayodhya washes over the devotees talking a dip in the holy waters. The story goes that one day lakshman wished to embark on a pilgrimage so shree ram showed him the lila on the bank of the saryu. He said that pilgrims arrive here every dat before sunrise to take a dip and that taking a bath in the river would be akin to bathing in all the pilgrimages. Pilgrims to this day carry on that ancient tradition when they take the ritual bath in the Saryu River.
Ram Ghat / Swarg Dwar
Swarg Dwar is an important bathing ghat rooted in Hindu Mythology. Shree rams remains are said to be cremated in the narrow stretch of land between sahastradhara to the nageshwarnath temple called Swarg Dwar. The ram ghat is set on the bank of the saryu river and faces the 18th century building on the river bank.
Guptar Ghat
This ghat is highly revered by Hindus as this was the holy place where Shree ram took jal Samadhi and left for his heavenly abode of vaikunth. But his final departure was a difficult decision as his faithful aide hanuman would not leave aside. He had to resort to trickery as it was imperative that Vishnuji ended his avatar as ram, thereby leaving the treat yug, and resume other form. Shree ram threw his ring into a crack in the earth and asked hanuman to fetch it for him. But this was no ordinary crack as it led straight to Nag lok, where the serpent king Vasuki showed him a pile of rings which exactly looked like shree ram’s. This is when hanuman realized he would never be able to see his beloved companion again, because clearly vishnuji had done this several times in the past and needed to exit this avatar before reincarnating.
Bharat Kund
Bharat lived in Nandigram for 14 years and after placing Shri Ram’s slippers on the throne of Ayodhya, he ruled the state as a representative. The place, at a distance of 10 kms from Ayodhya, was the point where Shri Ram ji and Bharat ji had an emotional meeting with each other.
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