Hello and welcome to my blog!
Welcome back to another episode of my travel series on Hive. It has been some time since I published a post for my Incredible India series. My last one was about a monument in Delhi, the National War Memorial. Today, however, I will take you to one of the most spiritually significant and ancient cities in India, the birthplace of Lord Rama, Ayodhya.
Ayodhya, Centre of Faith, Culture and History
Ayodhya is located on the banks of the Saryu River in Uttar Pradesh, a northern state in India. It is one of the most significant places in India because it is the birthplace of one of Vishnu's avatars, Lord Rama. He is one of the most culturally recognised figures in India; not just India, the epic Ramayana, depicting the life and characters of this divine being, is told throughout South Asian countries in one form or another, ranging from present-day Afghanistan to Vietnam. And this city was where it all began.
A Long Road Trip
We were a group of five friends living in Gurugram, which is about 700 km away. This time, we weren't heading towards the northern part of the lower Himalayas, which usually takes longer due to the rough terrain and bad road conditions. On the contrary, this one was a fairly straightforward route, taking the Agra-Lucknow Expressway.
Alternatively, you can choose to land at the newly built Maharshi Valmiki International Airport. It would have been a faster option for us, but also a lot more expensive. However, if you're coming from a few thousand kilometres away, which many people are, that would be a good way to travel.
Saryu Ghats
The city is located on the banks of the river, and these banks often have staircases made of stone or concrete platforms called Ghats. These Ghats are used to perform religious rites, safely take dips in the river, or for other religious ceremonies.
You can find people sitting on these Ghats, praying, meditating, bathing in the river, or simply admiring the beautiful sunset. We visited there just a week ago, and it's Monsoon season in India, which makes these rivers a bit more dangerous. The water flows with more force, and the level rises multiple meters within weeks. There are safety barriers put in place so people can do their rituals safely.
You can take a boat ride on the Naya Ghat if you want to have a more profound experience of the river.
Modern Ayodhya, Ancient Soul
A lot of construction work is going on along these river banks. In the last few years, this city has seen incredible growth in the number of visitors, so the authorities are trying to build more infrastructure to accommodate them. All of this was fueled by the construction of a massive temple in the heart of the city. More on that temple later.
As I told you before, this city is linked with India's most prominent epic and culturally significant story, the Ramayana. You will find many depictions of scenes from the epic carved on walls and stones.
I loved the attention to detail in these works. For me, India's history and culture are its best part, arguably the only ancient culture that is still alive and thriving despite numerous efforts by invaders. This needs to be preserved and retold to the coming generations. I am not even a religious person, but this is not just religion. Someone who influenced billions of people for thousands of years in multiple countries should be studied, preserved, and told to the next generation in an interesting way.
If you know about the Ramayana, then you must know the role the Vanar Clan had in finding Mata Sita.
Many foreigners might find the presence of these monkeys alarming, but the city is not the same without them. You can't imagine Ayodhya without these creatures. They are not seen as mere animals here, but much more than that—someone who helped Lord Rama in searching for his abducted wife and building a bridge to Sri Lanka.
You will find many small and large cultural motifs. One of my personal favourites is the big statue of a traditional Indian musical instrument, the Veena.
This is a 40-foot-tall Veena statue. There are mentions of this instrument in the epic, like Ravana, considered a brilliant Veena player among other things. But this specific statue is dedicated to a modern singer, the legendary Bharat Ratna, Lata Mangeshkar. I read that it is a 14-tonne statue sculpted by the same sculptor who worked on the Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue.
City of Temples
There are so many small and big temples here that you can never visit all of them. Every street seems to start with a temple and end with one. Many of the temples have those large domes on them.
Strolling in the streets, you will see many bright colours on the temple entrances. So much iconography and design; the religion is so extensive that knowing all the gods and goddesses would take a long time for anyone, let alone their respective stories, influences on people, and lifestyles.
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Hanuman Garhi
Hanuman Garhi is a famous Hindu temple in Ayodhya where Lord Hanuman is worshipped. It is situated on an elevated hill in the middle of the city.
I loved the bright, saturated colours, the murals on the walls, and the depiction of Lord Hanuman in different roles. He is the original Superman, with powers like shapeshifting, flight, immense strength, super intelligence, etc.
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I loved the doors too. To manage the crowd, a few of them were shut, and I absolutely adored those. Can you see the detailed work on them? Ram, Sita, and Hanuman are written in Devanagari script, just in case you are wondering.
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Walking in the streets next to this temple, you will find a lot of sweets and offerings for the gods.
Ram Temple
Ram Temple has to be the soul of this entire place. The ancient temple that stood here was demolished a few centuries ago by a Mughal invader, and a mosque was built over it. However, the Hindu side never let it go that easily and fought for it for centuries; many thousands lost their lives. Ultimately, the matter went to the courts, which lasted for multiple decades before finally ruling in favour of the temple in 2019.
This is when the construction of a massive project started, which is yet to be completed. But the inner sanctum is more or less finished, and the temple was opened to the public last year in January.
Since then, it has been visited by hundreds of millions of people in just over a year, far more than the famous Taj Mahal in India. This makes it the most popular destination for religious tourism in India.
A massive construction effort is still ongoing inside the temple premises. I saw thousands of labourers, engineers, and sculptors working. An interesting aspect about the temple is that it will be made with just stones, without using any metal or concrete. Judging by the scale of the project and the work yet to be completed, I wouldn't be surprised if it takes another 5 years to finish.
I can't show you pictures of the temple because visitors are not allowed to take their smartphones or cameras inside.
The temple trust is expecting about 200K-300K daily visitors, and managing this many visitors is no small task. On the inaugural day, there were reports of half a million visitors here. That's the reason there can be massive queues. It didn't take long for us; we found no rush and didn't have to stand anywhere.
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You will also find basic amenities here like free locker rooms, restrooms, and wheelchairs for disabled or physically challenged devotees, etc.
I would love to come back here once the temple has been finished.
Activities are happening every evening here, like the famous aarti and light shows. On Diwali, you can see millions of diyas lit here, which look so interesting. On these Ghats, people love to bathe and enjoy with family and friends.
So much is happening here at all times. All of your senses would be overloaded in this city. A lot to see, hear, feel, and experience in this ancient city, which has found a new source of energy. Religious tourism is expected to increase significantly in India, and this city just might be one of the most prominent reasons why.
Stay tuned for more such adventures...
Namaste 🙏
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