AYODHYA ,'' the legendary city of gods "'

'"गूंजे हर दिशा मैं एक ही नाम
जय श्री राम
जय श्री राम"

..........and the hymn resounds as you walk  through the lanes and bylanes of the epic town  of Ayodhya .Its a living epitome of the  absolute devotion of the inhabitants of the town , followers of Lord Rama.  The ancient historical treatises describes Ayodhya as the magical city of gods, also the birthplace of Lord rama. However, the popularity of this town gained manifold in recent years being the political centrestage of decades old religious dispute surrounding the birth site of lord Rama. The distance between kanpur and Ayodhya being  approx 226 kms , provided me with the  perfect opportunity to get a glimpse of one of the India's most controversial as well as revered site. 

                       

                            

The town is wellconnected with road and railways to all major cities of UP .After the grand foundation laying ceremony of the Ram mandir , the place is gaining prominence as centre of religious tourism and as a result of that, beautification and cleanliness drive has been  implemented with great speed.   As you enter the town of  Ayodhya ,  a colourful concrete passage   welcomes  setting the tone for the intriguing  historical sights awaiting you . Ayodhya is situated on the banks of river Saryu . The entrance to town begins with the entry to   Nayaghat built on the banks of saryu which is  a wide stretch of bathing ghat where  pilgrims are seen offering prayers or taking a dip in the  holy river.  There is another ghat called Ram ki paidi.Its a series of ghats with a backdrop of old temple buildings .The temple of Nageshwarnath is situated at this ghat which the legend says was built by khush, son of lord rama.It is also one of  the highly revered temples in Ayodhya which is thronged by pilgrims at the time of mahashivratri.

                                                                'Ram ki Paidi"'

As i stood on   the ghats of ram ki paidi in the evening with the sun setting behind me, the view of the grandiose landscape before me felt  serene and mystical .Infact, the ram ki paidi ghats are the most visible defining landscape of the town which gives it an ancient historical look , a picture perfect moment.

After the visit to ghats, i travelled further deep into the town  marked by narrow winding streets and lanes lined  with old shops on both sides. The towering domes and spires of temples and old hindu  monuments are visible above these shops.  In the evening the  sky was laden with rain clouds . I could feel  the religious fervour in the surrounding air as I walked along the shops selling various religious knick knacks and saffron flags , a dual symbolism of lord rama and hindutva flavour of Ayodhya .The chantings and slogans of jai shree ram can be heard all around.  Infact the guide who took me  on the  tour of  Ayodhya , kept shouting the slogan like an excited child and even prompting me to participate .

                                                                    '' old town of ayodhya''

               

                                                     

Other then various  temples, some of the important historical architectural buildings are the Dashrath mahal, hanumangarhi (temple of Hanuman), kanak bhawan (palace of queen kaikeyi), bharat bhawan, sita ki rasoi and laxman bhawan  . However, the buidlings have been constructed and renovated several times during the years and are not excavated sites or original structures of the epic era. As the guide enlightened us that there exists only three factual truths , the land itself on which we stand , name of Lord rama and the idol of Ram lalla that was discovered on the disputed site . All the buildings are situated nearby only on both sides of the narrow alleys passing through the market area. There are scores of  sweet shops selling different varieties of  laddu as an offering to deities of lord hanuman and rama .

                           "Dashrath mahal "'                                                       "'Kanak bhawan"'

                            "tiles in sita ki rasoi"'

Finally, we reach the most important and controversial site of Ayodhya, the very place where babri masjid was demolished and presently the ongoing construction of new Ram mandir . Its a highly secured area and checking starts at the entry lane itself which is thronged with hordes of pilgrims .The surrounding shops offers locker facility for keeping your belongings since nothing is allowed inside the site.no photography is allowed.I was  told that the pilgrims going for darshan of the idol of ram lalla   can also catch a glimpse of the ongoing construction of the new ram temple at the disputed site through a wire mesh placed all around it.  Interestingly ,during  the visit to the sita ki rasoi, the guide showed the heaps  of name engraved marble tiles as an oblation  by devotees from all over the country  to be used in the new ram mandir complex construction . In order to avoid the crowd and heavy security checking, i gave a pass to the idea of standing in the long queue and going inside .So I offered my prayers to the deity from a distance and turned back.

For me the entire experience of the trip to Ayodhya was more of contemplative rather then religious one .It was a quest to understand this entire religious phenmomenon surrounding the holy town  and the devout zeal  of its inhabitants which led to the decades old dispute culminating into one of india's worst communal riots and socio-political debates.The hindutva ideology is so deeply engrained among the residents that it feels as if the town itself breathes the very name of lord rama .There exists nothing beyond it for them . As i come outside of Ayodhya,  it feels like getting out of an archaic time period and going back to the real world .However,  town of Ayodhya in coming years will develop immensely as  the most prominent centre of religious tourism in India .