Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi

Ayodhya is also known as Oudh or Awadh city, south-central Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It lies on the Ghaghara (Gogra) River near Faizabad. The city of Ayodhya is an important pilgrim place for Hindus in India. It is one of the seven holiest cities of India.It is  believed to be the birth place of lord Rama, who is the seventh incarnation of lord Vishnu. 


 Ayodhya has been most sacred while being an important religious center of Uttar Pradesh. This city is believed to in existence before the start of human race on earth. The city has been the capital of Lord Rama's kingdom.When Gods were present on earth, Ayodhya was the centre of their activities. Lord Rama, the legendary god's birth took place here and was brought up here and later ruled the kingdom from Ayodhya. 

The word Ayodhya clearly means "which can't be defeated". There are many temples in this small town. The temples are mostly dedicated to lord Rama and his family and friends. 

Janmabhoomi

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 and famous Ikshvaku of the solar clan (suryavamsa) was the ruling dynasty of this region. 

Rama Janma Bhoomi is where Lord Rama is been believed to have taken birth.

Guptar Ghat

In Guptar Ghat there are a bunch of nice temples and nearby it has a nice park. Gupta is defined as disappearance. This is the place where Rama left His body . There exist few nice temples here, one called Chakra Harji Vishnu, 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. In 19th century King Dasrath Singh build a temple and small palace 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

Hanuman Garhi is situated in the centre of the town, this temple can be reached by a flight of 76 steps. Legend conveys that Lord Hanuman lived here, in a cave and was guarding the Janmabhoomi or Ramkot. The main part of Hanuman Garhi temple contains the statue of Anjani, with child Hanuman, seated on her lap. The devotees visiting this temple believe that all their wishes will be granted with a visit to this holy shrine. The temple has the 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 particular temple of Treta -ke- Thakur stands at the place, where Rama is said to have performed the Ashvamedha Yagya. Ashwamedha Yagna was the ritual done, where by horses were left to roam in the country. The places where horses these would go, would come under the reign of the Yagna performer. 

Nageshwarnath Temple

The temple of Nageshwarnath is believed to be established by Kush, the son of Rama. Legend conveys that Kush lost his armlet, while bathing in the river Saryu, which was picked up by a nag-kanya, who then fell in love with him. As she was a devotee of Lord Shiva, Kush erected this temple for her. It is has been known through history 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 due to this temple only that Vikramaditya was able to locate Ayodhya and the sites of different shrines here. The festival of Shivratri is been celebrated here with great enlightenment. 

Other Places to Visit

Other places one can visit in Ayodhya are the river surrounding Lakshman Ghat. Lakshman, who was the brother of Rama, is said to have bathed at Lakshman Ghat. There is also a Vasistha Kund temple which is a small round kund like a well. There are Sita-Rama Deities in this temple. Kaushalya, the mother of Rama, is said to have established the Kshireswara Nath Temple for Sita. Bharata Kund, at Nandigram, 20 km from Ayodhya, is said to be the place where Bharata ruled while Rama was in exile for 14 years. A half km north of Janmabhoomi is Swarga Dwara, or Ram Ghat, which is an important bathing ghat. 

Time to Visit

Though the weather of Ayodhya is generally mild with hot spells in summer (April-June), it is advisable to travel here in the winter months. Ayodhya can be visited any time of the year. However, winters here can be quite cold. It is suggested that one visits Ayodhya on the auspicious day of Ramnavami, the day of Lord Rama's birth, an occasion which is celebrated with great pomp and show. Ramnavami usually comes in the Hindu month of Chaitra (March-April). 

Temple Timings :

Summers: 7.30 - 11.30 am and 4.30 - 9.30 pm and Winters: 9 - 11 am and 4 - 9 pm

How to reach the Temple

1. Throuh Air for reaching Ayodhya the holy city, the nearest airports are Amausi, Bumrauli and Babatpur. The Amausi airport, located at a distance of 134 kms is the most nearest airport. Flights to/from most major Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore are rather frequent.


2. Ayodhya is situated on the broad gauge northern railway line on Mughal Sarai- Lucknow main route. Ajodhya/Faizabad are connected to various parts of the country by rail lines.


3. Ayodhya is well connected with other places by road, as it is located on the main highway, which runs through the town on the way from Faizabad to Gorakhpur. There are always frequent tempos and buses shuttling along the highway from Faizabad to Ayodhya.


4. Through Railways- Ayodhya doesn't have a railway station and one can catch trains from Faizabad. Lucknow, Allahabad and Gorakhpur are connected by rail with Faizabad.

Ram Tirth Temple - Amristar, Birth Place of Luv and Kush.

Ram Tirath Temple is located at a distance of 11 kilometers to the West of Chogawan road in Amritsar. The Ram Tirath Temple dates back top the period of Ramayana. There is a very good ancient tank near this temple. 

History of Temple :

A number of Temples are scattered in this particular area. At the site of the temple there is a hut where Mata Sita gave birth to Luv and Kush. The Ram Tirth Temple has Maharishi Valmiki's hermitage and a well with stairs where Mata Sita used to take her bath. The Temples exhibit scenes from Ramayana. 

Even in the holy book of Hindus, The Ramayana, the place is mentioned. Sita Mata had come here after Lord Rama deserted her and got shelter in Maharishi Valmiki's hermitage. Sage Valmiki trained the children of Lord Ram, Luv and Kush and made them proficient in all fields, be it warfare or religious / social education. Annual Fair is held in Ram Tirth in the month of November on the full moon day. The fair lasts for four days.

Making a special place in the holy scripts of ancient religions, the place was once the ashrama of saint Balmiki. The saint is believed to have scripted many of his sacred manuscripts at this place. A hut of Rishi Balmiki is still found at Ram Tirth where he once lived. After giving birth to Luv and Kush, Devi Sita used to stay at this place for a considerable period of time. The evidence of her stay still exists in the form a well which, it is believed, was dug by Hanuman. Devotees of King Rama and Devi Sita flock to this place every year to offer their prayers to the respected deities. As the position of the Ram Tirth is facilitated by easy accessibility, the visitors conveniently reach this place of worship without any extra hassles. 

Another prime attraction of Ram Tirth in Amritsar is its four day long fair which is organized from a long time. Today, a large number of tourists across India come to visit this exotic place. A beautiful manifestation of the Ramayana, the Ram Tirth in Amritsar, captivates each and every devotee who steps into this quaint abode of divine characters. 

A big fair is held here about a fortnight after Diwali and for a duration of five days. Great importance is said to be the tank which is believed to have been dug by Hanuman. The circumference of that particular tank is about 3km and there are temples on its sides. A majority of the pilgrims consider it as very auspicious to have a dip in the sacred tank in the early hours of the Puranmashi (full moon) night. A 30 feet wide path of circumambulation (Parikarma) runs round this scared tank. After the holy dip, the pilgrims take a round of the tank while chanting mantars and exchanging salutations,"Ram Ram". 

Floating of tullas is a special feature of the fair. On the puranmashi night, women light lamps which are made out of kneaded flour and fed with pure ghee or mustard oil, place them on leaf plates or boat shaped carriers made of sarkanda reeds, and release them to float in the tank, reciting devotional songs and hymns, This ceremony called tulla toarna (floating of tullas) is believed to wash off the sins and to please Rama. 

Significance of the temple

About one lakh pilgrims visit Ram Tirth place during the fair. A large number of jatadhari (long-haired) sadhus also attend the fair and would be siting in meditation. A great number of Sikhs, mostly from rural areas, also participate and pay homage at the various shrines. People from all over the state and even near by come to participate in the fair with great enthusiasm and take special interest in the celebrations arranged at the Balmiki temple. They also take out a procession on the concluding days of the fair. Women are of lot of majority than men because of the popular belief that issueless women beget children if they take a dip in the baoli known as 'Mata sita di baoli' on the full moon night. 

The General belief among the pilgrims who visit to the sacred place would be incomplete if they fail to give something in charity to beggars, lepers and crippled persons. They give alms to such persons in the form of cash, clothes and eatables. 

The entertainment here in the midst of the Tirth include merry go rounds, feats by acrobats, magic shows, exhibition of wild animals, singing minstrels,etd. During the fair here the conferences are also organised by various religious and social bodies.

Time to visit :

Amritsar in Punjab experiences extreme type of weather. The summers are too hot and winters are too cold. Best time to visit Amritsar is between the months of October and March from the climatic prespective though otherwise anytime of the year is the best time to visit this great place. 

How to Reach Ram Tirth Temple :

• To reach the temple by air, the nearest airport Raja Sani International Airport is well connected to the other parts of the country by regular flights. Today there are Jet Airways, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Air India which offer flights to Amritsar from Delhi, Birmingham and London and few other places as well.

• Through Railways, Amritsar is directly connected to rest of India via rail route. It takes about 6 to 10 hours to reach Amritsar by train from Delhi.

• By way of Road, regular deluxe and non-deluxe buses are available from I.S.B.T. Delhi to Amritsar. Volvo bus service is also available.