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
miles 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 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. |
