On
the right bank of the river Ghaghra 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.
The ancient city of Ayodhya, according to the Ramayana, was founded
by Manu, the law-giver of the Hindus. For centuries it was the capital
of the decendants of the Surya Vansh of which Lord Rama was the
most celebrated king. Ayodhya during ancient times was known as
Kosaldesha. The Atharvaveda describes it as "a city built by
gods and being as prosperous as paradise itself". The illustrious
ruling
dynasty of this
region were the lkshvakus of the Surya Vash. Accoridng to tradition
lkshvaku was the eldest son of Vaivasvata Manu, who established himself
at Ayodhya.
The
earth is said to have derived its name 'Prithvi' from Prithu, the
6th king of the line. A few generations later came Masndhatri, in
whose line the 31st king was Harishchandra, known idely for him
live for truith. Raja Sagar of the same clan performed the ashvamedha
yajna and his great grandson bhagirath is reputed to have brought
ganga on earth by virtue of his penances. later in the time came
the great raghu after whome the family came to be called as raghu
vansh . His grandson was Raja Dasharatha the illustrious father
of lord rama with whome the glory of the dynasty reached its zenith.
According
to pauranic belief in the 93rd generation from Ikshvaku the 30th
from lord rama was vrihadbala the last famous king of the ikshvaku
dynasty of ayodhya who was killed during the Mahabharata war. The
kingdom of kosala again rose to prominence in the time of the Buddha,
i.e. 6th century B.C.
Ayodhya
is pri-eminently a city of temples. At Ayodhya several religions
have grown and prospered simultaneously and also at different periods
of time in the past. Remnants of Hinduism, Budhism , Jainism, Sikhism
can still be found in Ayodhya.
According to Jain tradition, Ayodhya was
the seat of five Tirthankaras, including the first Tirthankar
Adinath (Rishabhadeva).
» How
to reach Ayodhya
By
Air : For Ayodhya the nearest airports are Amausi (Lucknow-134km.)
and Babatpur (Varanasi-209 km.).
By Rail : Ayodhya is situated on the gauage Northern
Railway line on Mughal Sarai-Lucknow main route.
Ayodhya/ Faizabad are connected to various parts of the country.
By Road : Connected by road to several major cities
and towns, some of the major road distances are; Lucknow-125km;
Gorakhapur-132 km; Jhansi-441 km; Allahbad-166 km; Sravasti-109
km; Varanasi-209 km., Gonda-51 km.
Ayodhya, Religious Places in India Reservation Form
