Ayodhya, the holy city – Erakina

Ayodhya is an ancient city and the birthplace of the Hindu god Bhagwan Shri Ram. Ayodhya is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India and is situated on the banks of the river Saryu. Ayodhya is an ancient city and it was the capital of the Kosala Kingdom. 

Places to visit when in Ayodhya 

• Ram Janmabhoomi Temple – it is one of the main attractions in Ayodhya, though the area in which it is located in a center of dispute ever since the destruction of Babri Masjid. The place the temple is built on is said to be the birthplace of Lord Ram who is the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. In 1528 AD Mughal king Babur destroyed the original temple to build a mosque on the same spot.
• Moti Mahal – A great work of art from Mughal architecture was the residence of Nawab Shuja-Ud-Daula’s wife. Moti Mahal was built in 1743 AD and is situated near Faizabad town.
• Treta ke Thakur – it is an ancient temple on the banks of the river Sarayu. The idols of Lord Rama carved out of black sandstones in ancient times are placed in the temple.
• Hanuman Garhi – Hanuman Garhi as the name suggests is dedicated to Lord Hanuman and is one of the most famous temples in Ayodhya. It was built by the Nawab of Awadh. The temple is known for its seventy steep steps which need to be scaled to reach the temple.
• Guptar Ghat – located on the banks of the Sarayu river, it is an important pilgrim spot in the Hindu religion. It is the place where Lord Ram drowned himself in a ‘Jal Samadhi’. The ghat is full of temples and aarti is held every day.
• Bahu Begum ka Makabara – it is a tomb built for Shuja-Ud-Daula’s wife and was built in 1816. The tomb is built in white marble and has a distinctive nawabi style in its architecture. 
• Ram ki Paidi – it is a series of ghats spread on the banks of the Sarayu river. The lighting of ghats in the floodlit night is something to watch for.

History of Ayodhya

demolition case verdict out 

• It is an ancient city known as Saket, It is associated with the epic Ramayana as it is the birthplace of Lord Ram.
• Ayodhya was the capital of the Kosala Kingdom in its early years. According to some scholars, This and Saketa, the place where Buddha resided for a time, are identical to each other.
• The Kanauj kingdom rose in it during the eleventh and twelfth centuries CE. Ayodhya at that time was called Awadh or Oudh. in the sixteenth century, the region was included in the Mughal Empire, before that it belonged to the Jaunpur kingdom and Delhi Sultanate. 
• Saadat Khan laid the foundation of the city, he was the second Nawab of Awadh. 
• Raja Darshan Singh constructed the long line of ghats along the river Saryu, in the nineteenth century. A lot of temples dedicated to Sita- Ram, and Narasingh are placed on the bank of the river. 
• According to Jain traditions, the five Tirthankaras were born at Ayodhya, and references of This were mentioned in the Athar Veda.
• This place is considered one of the seven most important pilgrimage sites for Hindus.

Babri Masjid controversy

• When Babar came to India in 1526, during the conquest of northeast India, one of his generals visited This place and built a Mosque which is said was built by demolishing a temple and building the mosque over it.
• The Babri Masjid-Ram janmabhoomi dispute has been going around since 1853, during the reign of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh the Hindu community proclaimed that the mosque was built after the demolition of the Hindu temple. In 1990 Vishwa Hindu Parishad party members demolished the mosque and partially damaged it. In 1992 communal riots caused more than 2000 deaths.
• The case in court for the dispute over the land went on till 2020, and finally, a decision of building Ram mandir was taken. On August 5, 2020, a groundbreaking ceremony was performed by prime minister Narendra Modi.

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