Ayodhya:- Ayodhya
is also known as Oudh or Awadh city,
south-central Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It lies
on
the Ghaghara (Gogra) River near Faizabad.
The city of
Ayodhya is an important pilgrim place for Hindus in India. It
is one of the seven holiest cities of India.
Ayodhya is the
birthplace of Lord Ram, who is an important deity
in the
Hindu pantheon. This small, quiet town attracts pilgrims from
all over the country. Hindu pilgrims visiting Ayodhya during
festivals and important religious functions consider a holy dip
in the sacred Saryu River very auspicious. It
is said that
Ayodhya has 7000 temples, but there are some 100 temples
of relative significance. Legend:- Ayodhya
is having a heritage that dates back to several centuries. As the legend
goes, founded by Manu or his son Ikshvaku, the first king
of the solar dynasty, Ayodhya had always been the seat of power
for the Surya dyanasty of which Rama was the most celebrated king. This
is the place where king Dasaratha, who had no son, performed the
divine Yajna with the help of Sage Rishyasringa and as a result
of that, Dasaratha had four sons, Sri Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana
and Shatrughna. The city still holds the heritage of Lord
Rama fringed in each of the corners of the city. The most popular
festival of India, Diwali was celebrated for the first time
in Ayodhya to celebrate Lord Rama's triumph over the
tyrant king Ravana in Sri Lanka, when Lord
returned home with his consort Sita and brother Lakshmana. Places of Interest 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). 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 guarded 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. Getting there and around By Air : Ayodhya can
access both the airports of Lucknow (135 km) and Varanasi (190 km) with equal
ease. Lucknow is well connected to the rest of the country with Indian
Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Sahara flights.
The Varanasi airport connects Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow and Khajuraho on a regular
basis. By Rail : Faizabad
is at a distance of 6km from Ayodhya and is three hours from both Varanasi and
Lucknow by train on a broad gauge railway line. From Ayodhya to Varanasi
two trains are available - Farakka Express & Saryu Yamuna
Express. There is also a local train service from Ayodhya to Faizabad. By Road : The nearest
bus hub to Ayodhya is at Faizabad (6 km) and it is connected to Lucknow,
Allahabad and Gorakhpur in regular bus service. An early morning bus service
to Sunauli, for Nepal from Faizabad bus stand
is also available. The distance from some major citie s
are : Lucknow - 141 km, V aranasi - 190 km, Allahabad - 167
km, Gorakhpur - 140 km.
