MEMOIRS FROM MY AYODHYA PILGRIMAGE
There is hardly any Hindu in India or abroad who does not know about Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama. Lord Rama was the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu or Narayana, who is considered as the preserver and the protector of the universe according to the Puranas (Hindu religious texts). He was the eldest of the four sons -Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna- of Suryavanshi King Dasharatha in Treta Yuga. When Dharma was declining on earth and the sages, munis, ascetics and the common people were suffering from the atrocities of Rakshsas (demons), the Lord Vishnu himself incarnated in human form to destroy the wicked and restore Dharma and killed demons like Ravana, Kumbhakaran, Meghnath and others. He is called Maryada Purushottam - one who followed the path of Dharma in every situation while leading a painful life himself and to set the path of righteousness for the generations to come.
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| AI generated image of Lord Rama |
He showed generations how one should behave as a son, a brother, a husband. He established Ram Rajya which was the ideal form of governance. Ram Rajya is still the standard of governance. The life story of Lord Rama is the epic Ramayana which is the most revered religious text book of Hindus. There is hardly any Hindu household where Ramayana, written by Aadi Kavi (The First Poet) Valmiki or Goswami Tulsidas or other poets, is not available. Ramayana teaches us the way of life and makes us aware of our duty towards family and society.
Lord Rama during his journey from north to south ended the demons, embraced the Dalits, backward and established the rule of Dharma. Lord Rama is primarily known as Rama or Ramar in Tamil in South India. He is also known as Raghava and Raghukul Tilaka, Raghukul Shiromani, a name derived from his lineage as a descendant of Raghu. Apart from this, he is also known as Ramudu in Telugu.
He showed us how to treat the deprived and marginalized people of the society. He also showed how to maintain friendships. He taught us how to do justice by leading an ideal life himself. His life was the epitome of everything that could be best, whether it was his personal life or his public life as the head of a state.
I always longed to visit Ayodhya to see the birthplace of Lord Rama. The place has been a bone of contention since the 16th century when Babur demolished the temple that existed there and built a mosque, eventually called the Babri Masjid. Hindus had to struggle for 500 years to reclaim the birthplace of their ideal Lord. There is a long history of how the land was eventually handed over to the Hindus who had to prove through archaeological and historical evidences that Lord Rama was born at this very place. Now, as a temple to Ram Lala is being built by the trust—the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust—with contributions from millions of Hindu devotees, Ram Lala has been installed and other important structures are also coming up as planned. Once complete in all aspects, it would be a beautiful place to visit form the point of view of the religious pilgrimage. Recently I visited the pilgrimage site with my wife and son. The details of my visit to Ayodhya Dham are as follows:
Departure for Ayodhya:
During our visit to Ayodhyadham on 19th and 20th June, 2025, I, my wife and son stayed at Ashvi Guest House near Vibhishan Kund in Ayodhya. This place is very close to Kanak Bhawan and Hanuman Garhi. On the morning of 19th June, we woke up at 3 am and got ready to catch the Vande Bharat train from Anand Vihar Railway Station. The train leaves for Ayodhya Cantt at 6.10 am via Aligarh, Kanpur and Lucknow and reaches Ayodhya Cantt at 2.30 pm. Ayodhya Cantt Railway Station is about 10 km from our guest house. We hired an auto for Rs 200 and drove through the winding lanes and roads of Faizabad and Ayodhya to reach our destination. After freshening up and resting for a while, we decided to visit Kanak Bhawan and Hanuman Garhi and also attend the Saryu Aarti at Saryu Ghat on the 19th itself. Kanak Bhawan is believed to have been gifted to Sita Ji by her father-in-law Maharaj Dashrath. Hanuman Garhi is a temple of Shri Hanuman Ji which is situated at some height between Kanak Bhawan and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. There was a small crowd of pilgrims at Hanuman Garhi but we did not face much trouble in going there. There was adequate police force present at the temple to maintain law and order. My wife bought some magnetic base images of Shri Ram Lalla and Ram Darbar as gifts for our family members and her friends.
Accommodation for devotees in Ayodhya:
Like other religious places, Ayodhya also has many hotels, guest houses, rest houses, ashrams where one can get good and comfortable accommodation for around one thousand to five thousand approximately. Suitable accommodation can be pre-booked from sites such as Goibibo or MakeMyTrip Etc.
Visit to Kanak Bhawan and Hanuman Garhi:
After visiting Kanak Bhawan and Hanuman Garhi, we left for Saryu Ghat by e-rickshaw. It is being developed as a beautiful place.
The road to Saryu Ghat passes through Lata Mangeshkar Chowk, where a very large replica of Veena has been displayed. The roads have been widened and shops have been rebuilt and decorated just before the inauguration of Shri Ram Mandir. I spoke to some shopkeepers and they told me that earlier the roads were not so wide. Old and dilapidated shops had to be demolished to widen the road and build new shops. To make Ayodhya future-ready, old structures had to be demolished to accommodate the ever-increasing crowd. The shopkeepers are happy as their earnings have increased thanks to Shri Ram Mandir. The present government has brought peace by bringing the rule of law.
The Saryu river near Ayodhya flows majestically and looks very beautiful at sunset. I am sure it is most lively and beautiful in the morning. Electric boats running from one end to the other were making it a sight to behold.
Attending the Saryu Aarti:
As soon as I saw Ayodhya and the Saryu river, I was reminded of the following verse from the great poet Tulsidas's Shri Ramcharitmanas about Ayodhya and the Saryu river:
Banduun Avadh Puri Ati Pavani. Sarju Sari Kali Kalush Nasaavani.
Ram Dhamada Puri Suhaavani. Lok Samasta Bidit Ati Pavani.
That is,
I worship the most holy Shri Ayodhyapuri and the river Shri Saryu which
destroys the sins of Kaliyug. Then I bow to those men and women of Avadhpuri on
whom Lord Shri Ramchandraji has a lot of affection.
Aarti at Sarayu Ghat, Ayodhya
The Saryu Aarti starts at around 7 pm at the Saryu Ghat. If you are in Ayodhya at that time, you must attend it. If you reach the ghat early, try to sit near the Saryu river so that you can see the entire aarti from the front. Otherwise you can watch the aarti from the back as well. If you want to take a bath in the Saryu river, you can easily do so as arrangements have been made for it at the ghat.
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| Aarti at Sarayu Ghat, Ayodhya |
When we reached there, a large number of pilgrims had gathered at the ghat. The pandits performed the aarti with musical recitation. Prasad was distributed to all. After this we sat on the ghat for some time. There was also a laser show, showing scenes from the epic Ramayana. My son bought chaat papdi to eat and wife bought a musical instrument (manjira) to offer to the temple near our house. On the way back to our room, my wife bought cotton dupattas for herself and my mother. I love mangoes and when I saw very good quality and variety of mangoes on the way I could not resist myself. I bought two kg of mangoes. Unfortunately my stomach was already upset so I could not taste them. Wife and son had their dinner at Kanak Rasoi near Kanak Bhawan. It was homely food - tawa chapati, dal, sabzi - a full meal for Rs 90/-. I decided not to eat anything at night and only took ORS, which we brought from Greater Noida itself.
We slept by 10.30 pm, as we had decided to go to Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra early in the morning and have darshan of Ram Lala by 7.30 am, to avoid the heat and long queues.
Grand Darshan of Shri Ram Lala:
We woke up at 5 am on June 20 and got ready to go to the Ram Lala temple. It was a one and a half kilometer walk through Kanak Bhawan and Hanuman Garhi. The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, where the temple of Ram Lala is located, is a very vast and open area which is still under construction. By my estimate, it may take at least 2 to 3 years to develop the entire area. When fully developed, it will be one of the most spectacular sightseeing and religious places to visit in the entire country.
Anyway, we reached the area where a very well managed area was kept with dedicated staff to keep shoes and other belongings safe. We too took off our shoes, kept them in a bag available nearby and handed them over to the enclosure staff.
The keys to the safe, where our shoes and belongings were kept, were provided to us. After this, we washed our hands and walked through the path made of barricading pipes to reach the main temple where the beautiful idol of Ram Lalla has been installed. We could see the idol from a distance even as we moved ahead in the queue. Seeing Ram Lalla, it felt like a very old cherished dream had come true! The sculptor of the idol of Ram Lalla must have been chosen by fate or God himself for this task. It is very beautiful, majestic and mesmerizing to look at.
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| Actual Idol of Lard Ram (Ram Lala) |
Along with the magnificent idol of Ram Lalla, this verse from Shri Ramcharitmanas uttered by Kakbhushundi to the king of birds Garuda is quoted:
Ishtadeva Mum Balak Rama. Sobha Bapush Koti Sat Kama
Nij Prabhu Badan Nihari Nihari. Lochan Sufal Karaun Urgari
That is,
Shri Ramachandraji in the child form is my desired deity, whose body is adorned with billions of cupids. O Garuda! I quench the thirst of my eyes by seeing the face of my Lord.
The darshan was smooth and hassle free. The crowd of devotees was less probably due to it being mid-week and morning time. On religious occasions the number of devotees is very high and then there are long queues. But due to good arrangements it still did not take much time.
Our queue was taken to the lower area where each devotee was given two packets of prasad. It is pertinent to inform you all that no devotee is allowed to offer any flowers, garlands or prasad to Ram Lalla or Ram Darbar.
After receiving the prasad, we again came to a very well equipped and spacious hall which is a resting place for the pilgrims. It has a centralized air conditioning system and has very good quality chairs and many wall fans for the comfort of the pilgrims. There are well maintained and very clean toilets for men, women and Divyangs near the hall. The cleanliness of the hall is also worth seeing. I used the toilet only to check the cleanliness and I was surprised to see how well it was being cleaned and kept clean by the administration. We took our shoes and stuff and headed towards the exit gate located next to Sita Rasoi. Sita Rasoi was serving free food to all those who were willing to get food while waiting for their turn here.
The exit gate took us to the road at a distance of 500 meters from Hanuman Garhi. We had breakfast at the roadside eatery and reached our guest house- Ashvi by electric auto. Before that, my wife did some minor shopping- one framed picture each of Ram Lalla and Ram Darbar and a big (3'x2') flex picture of Ram Lalla for the home puja-sthal.
Free passes for persons above 70 years of age and women carrying children up to 2 years of age:
There is a free pass facility for persons above 70 years of age and women carrying children up to 2 years of age at the exit gate leading to the main road. The free pass can be applied for a day in advance. Free passes can also be availed for Mangal Aarti, Sandhya Aarti and Shayan Aarti. Out of the three types of Aarti, Mangal Aarti has to be applied for a day in advance. Free wheelchairs and free medical facilities are also available in the same complex. Devotees of all other categories can avail the online free pass facility about 10 days before the Ram Mandir darshan on the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra website or mobile app: RJB.
Return from Shri Ayodhya Dham:
Since the check-out time was 11 am, we packed our luggage, paid the remaining bill and headed towards our next destination. Before that, I bowed to Lord Ram and expressed a wish that I will visit the holy birthplace of Lord Ram once the complete temple is built in the next few years.
Since we had booked the Vande Bharat train for our return journey as well, we had about four hours to relax or roam around the city of Ayodhya. Though it had rained the previous night, the mercury was again rising. So we decided to visit a mall near Ayodhya Cantt station so that we could relax and spend our time in the air-conditioned place, while also doing some shopping. I googled and found out about Mall of Avadh, about 2.5 km from the station. We took an auto to the mall and reached there in half an hour.
At Avadh Mall, we did some shopping, had light snacks and spent our time in the air-conditioned sit-out of the restaurant. My wife and I got massages done on massage chairs, which had a wonderful relaxing effect. It was a completely new experience. At around 2.35 pm we took an auto and left for the railway station and reached the station at 3.00 pm. The train was already on the platform. We took our seats and the train departed at exactly 3.20 pm on its 621 km journey from Ayodhya Cantt to Anand Vihar Terminal, New Delhi.
During my visit to Ayodhya city, I interacted with two different auto drivers about how Ayodhya had changed after Sri Ram Temple. Both were praising the efficient leadership of the present Chief Minister and his work. My own belief is that without better coordination between the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister at the Centre and the State, Shri Ram Mandir would never have been built and Ayodhya would certainly not have been transformed the way it has.
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