Ayodhya

Ayodhya stands on the Sarayu river and is one of the seven cities held sacred in Hindu tradition, identified in the Ramayana as Rama's birthplace and the capital of his kingdom, which makes it a pilgrimage destination drawing visitors year-round. Ghats line the river where pilgrims bathe and float lamps, and temples fill the old lanes, among them Hanuman Garhi, reached by a flight of steps up to a fort-like enclosure, and Kanak Bhawan with its ornate interior. Diwali here is marked by lighting hundreds of thousands of oil lamps along the ghats, a display that has set repeated records.

History

The settlement was long known as Saketa, a name found in Sanskrit, Jain, Buddhist, Greek and Chinese sources, until it was renamed Ayodhya, "invincible", in the Gupta period. Early Buddhist and Jain texts say the Buddha and Mahavira visited and lived here, and Jain texts call it the birthplace of five tirthankaras; in the Ramayana it is the capital of the kingdom of Kosala, and the cities of Ayutthaya in Thailand and Yogyakarta in Indonesia are named after it (Wikipedia, Ayodhya).

Highlights

• The Sarayu ghats - bathing steps and evening lamp offerings on the river.
• Hanuman Garhi - a fort-like temple reached by a long stair.
• Kanak Bhawan - an ornately decorated temple in the old town.
• The Diwali lamps - hundreds of thousands of lamps along the river.

When to go

October to March; Diwali in October or November is the great festival here and brings enormous crowds, as does Ram Navami in spring. Summers on the plains are severe.

What to expect

The city has been under heavy construction and expansion, so streets and access change frequently. Security at major temples is strict with phones and bags restricted. Pilgrim crowds are dense at festivals.

Nearby

Lucknow lies west; Shravasti is north.