About the Temple & Location :
Thiru Ayodhya is said to be the Janmha Bhoomi (Birth place) of Sri Ram and is situated 6 Kms from Faizabad.
Ayodhya is well connected with other places by road, as it is located on the main highway.
Transportation by means of Tempos, Cycle-rickshaws and Buses are available at frequent intervels.
Specials:
1. In this sthalam only, Emperumaan took the Avathaar as Rama, as an ordinary king, who led the life as an ordinary human. And at the end of the Avatar, along with other 3 brothers, he got mixed (i.e.) got mukthi in Sarayu river.
2. This Divyadesam is said to be one among the 7 Mukthi Kshetrams. These 7 mukthi sthalam represents different part of the body of Sriman Narayanan.
Moolavar:
The Moolavar of Ayodhya is Sri Ramar. He is also called with the names “Chakravarthy Thirumagan”, facing his thirumugham towards North direction. Prathyaksham for Bharadhan, all Devars and Maharishis.
Thaayar:
The Thaayar of this divyadesam is Seetha Piratiiyaar.
Vimaanam
Pushkala Vimaanam.
Sthalapuranam
The Great epic, Ramayana is said to start and ended in this sthalam. The avathaar of Sri Ramar explains how an ordinary human should be and it explains the Sathya path which leads him to the final mukthi.
This Divyadesam is said to be one among the 7 Mukthi Kshetrams. These 7 mukthi sthalam represents different part of the body of Sriman Narayanan. Avanthi is represented as the divine feet, Thiruvadi of the perumal, Kachipuram, represents the waist, Thirudwaraka represents the Nabhi (the lower stomach), Maya represents the Thiru maarbhu (the chest) Madhura represents the neck, Kasi represents the nose and finally, this Ayodhya Kshetram represents the Head of the perumal. Thats the reason it is said to be one of the most important among the 7 Mukthi kshetram.
Sri Ramar by killing Ravanan explains to the world that all the life led and its destiny ends only through ones character. Sri Ramar led his life by thinking of only one life parter, Seetha Piratti, his wife along with his bow (vil). He followed his previous generationed member and followed their words. Thus, the Rama avathaar explains about one word, one bow and one wife and all the characters are found inside Sri Ramar. When Emperumaan took the human avathaar, as Sri Ramar, Periya piratti came as his wife as Seetha piratti, the Aadhiseshan as his brother, Lakshmanan and perumal’s sangu and chakkaram took their birth as “Bharadhan and Sathrukkanan. Hanuman born as the hamsam of Sivaperumaan.
This Avathaar of Sriman Narayanan as “Sri Ramar”, shows the best and excellent characters of all human and explains how all must be. By giving the entire Raajyam (empire) of Ayodhi to Bharathar as asked by Kaikeyi he gave the entire Raajyam and left out from Ayodhi to a forest. This character shows the obiedience for Kaikeyi, inspite of she doing harm by making him to go to the forest.
By helping Sukreevan and Vibheeshanan, Sri Ramar explains about the great friendship character and finally, the mercy and love showed towards Sri Hanuman is the ultimate character of Sri Ramar.
This Ayodhya sthalam is siad to be the birth place of Sri Ramar and he got Mukthi (Paramapadham) only from this Ayodhya sthalams and it is said to be the final place where the Rama avathaar ended.
Ayodhi - Sri Ramar Temple
Brahmadevan did a strong tapas towards Sriman Narayanan. The perumal gave his prathyaksham for Brahma and both of them hugged together. On seeing the great bhakti of Brahmadevan, Sriman Narayanan is so emotionally attracted towards him and his (perumal) eyes started to swell tears. But Brahma devan doesnt want the tears to let down it into the earth and he collected all of his tears in the Kamandalam (a small vessel which all the Rishis have). Using his power, Brahma devan created a pushkarani and all the drops of tears was mixed into the pushkarani. And that is called the Maanasasaras in the Himalayas. Since, the theertham is created along with the tears drops of perumal and the Manasika power (created from his heart fulfilled) of Brahma devar, this theertham is so called as “Maanasasaras”.
When Itsuraku was ruling Ayodhya he said his plea that if a river flows in his empire he would feel happy to Vasishta Maharishi. Vasishta Maharishi went towards Brahma devan in Sathya loka and along with the help of him, he made to flow the Maanasasaras to flow near his city . Since, Maansasaras was made to flow in Ayodhi, it is called as “Sarayu Nadhi”. Since, this river flowed as the step taken by Vasistar, this theertham is also called as “Vasistai”. This river is said to be the body of a women and said that it talked to Sri Ramar and Dasarathar because of this, the river is also called as “Rama Gangai”.
It is said that earlier Ayodhya had 2700 temple of Sri Ramar near the South shore of Sarayu Nadhi.
Srii Rama Temple In Ayodhya
Swayavambhuvamanu, who was the first son of Brahma devan, met in Sathya lokam and asked him which is the place he need to start the task of creation. Brahma along with his son, went towards Sriman Narayanan in Sri Vaikuntam. Through Brahma devan, Sriman Narayanan hands over the middle portion of Sri Vaikuntam which is said to be the Ayodhi Raajyam. This explains that all the wealth of Grand father belongs to Grand son (ie) since Brahma devan emerged from the Naabhi of Sri Mahavishnu he is considered to be his son and Swayavambhuvamanu is considered as the grandson of Mahavishnu. This is the reason why alwar say:
“Ambuyothon Ayodhi Mannarkku Alitha kovil”.
Interesting Places
On the shore of Sarayu river, a small temple for Aanjaneya is found which is called as “Hanuman Thekri”, where he is found in Vishwaroopa kolam. But only his head is found outwards.
Ammaaji Mandir, where sannadhis for Sri Ranganathar and Sri Ramar are found. This is the place where the old temple was found where all the alwars sung on the perumal.
The sthalam which is raised as the rememberance of Sri Ramar is being destroyed and found in damaged stage. We should not think that his temple was demolished. He has his own temple in all of the hearts of his bhaktas who says the Rama Naamam as “Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram” purely in their heart and thus Ayodhya is found all hearts of the bhaktas. So, bhaktas who say “Sri Ramajayam” is said to be the “Rama janma Bhoomi” and thus explains that there is lots and lots of Ayodhya is found in this entire world.
So let us say “Sri Ramajayam” and let his name spread throughout the world.
Theerthams of Ayodhya
There are number of theerthams is said to be flow in and near Ayodhya. Below are listed some of the Pushkaranis in and around Ayodhya:-
1. Paramapadha Pushkarani
2. Sarayu river.
3. Nageswara Theertham:
Sri Ramar had two sons namely Lavan and Kusa. One day, Kusa was having a bath in Sarayu river who was very much attracted by his beauty by Kumudavathi, a princess of Naga Lokam. she wanted to marry him and because of this, she caught hold of Kusa’s hands but she could not stop him. After reaching the palace, kusa found his ornaments (bangle) was missing. He thought it might have fallen in Sarayu river and to taken out the bangle from the river he dried up the river using his astram. The Naga princes got frightened of the astram and returned the bangle and falled to the feet of Kusa. Kusa explained the bangle was so important since it was given by Vasistar to Sri Ramar, his father. And finally, Kusa let the river to flow once again. Because of this, the theertham is called as “Nageswara theertham”.
Lots of theertham like Vaidaheeya theertham, Soorya theertham, Ratha theertham etc are also found. It is believed that Indra took bath in Indra theertham to get out of the Paavam (sin) due to Vrithirasura Vadham (Killing of Vrithisuran).
Ayodhya, the divine land where Lord Rama was born and spent much of his life time is one of the most important pilgrimages in India. Situated on the banks of river Saryu, Ayodhya is the place where you can walk over the streets where Lord Rama or Goddess Sita might have passed thousands years back. You can feel the divinity in the air and the ancient heritage of the simple and quiet city is sure to take you for a ride in the ancient era.
As the Legend Goes
Ayodhya is having a heritage that dates back to several centuries. As the legend goes, founded by Manu or his son Ikshvaku, the first king of the solar dynasty, Ayodhya had always been the seat of power for the Surya dyanasty of which Rama was the most celebrated king. This is the place where king Dasaratha, who had no son, performed the divine Yajna with the help of Sage Rishyasringa and as a result of that, Dasaratha had four sons, Sri Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. The city still holds the heritage of Lord Rama fringed in each of the corners of the city.
The most popular festival of India, Diwali was celebrated for the first time in Ayodhya to celebrate Lord Rama’s triumph over the tyrant king Ravana in Sri Lanka, when Lord returned home with his consort Sita and brother Lakshmana.
The Divine Attractions in Ayodhya
The divine city Ayodhya holds the heavenly heritage of Lord Rama and his exemplary ruling which is still remembered with respect and devotion. A tour in the city will surely engulf you in a divine feeling which has no is idiosyncratic in the world.
Ramkot
Situated in the western part of the city, the chief place of worship in Ayodhya is the site of the ancient citadel of Ramkot. Though visited by the devotees throughout the year, this sacred place attracts a huge number of pilgrims from all corners of the earth during ‘Ramnavami’, the day of the Lord’s birth, celebrated with much enthusiasm and hue in the Hindu month of Chaitra (March-April).
hanuman temple- ayodhya
Hanuman-Garhi Temple
Situated in the centre of the town, this ancient temple is approachable by 76 steps. As legend goes, Hanumana, the devotee of Lord Rama, used to live here in a cave and guarded the Janmabhoomi of Lord Rama. The temple houses a statue of child Hanuman seated at the lap of mother Anjani. The temple is a massive structure in the shape of four-sided fort with circular bastions at each corner and is the most famous shrine in Ayodhya.
Treta Ka Mandir
This temple stands where Lord Rama had performed the Ashvamedha Yajna. The temple was built by the Raja of Kullu about 300 years back, which was improved later by Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore during 1784. The adjoining ghats make a nice view in the morning and evening.
Tourist Information
Both the state and central government have came up with a number of measures to promote tourism in Ayodhya. A number of hotels and guest houses run by UPTDC and other private organizations make your stay in Atyodhya a pleasant experience.
Getting There
By Air
Ayodhya can access both the airports of Lucknow (135 km) and Varanasi (190 km) with equal ease. Lucknow is well connected to the rest of the country with Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Sahara flights. The Varanasi airport connects Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow and Khajuraho on a regular basis.
By Rail
Faizabad is at a distance of 6km from Ayodhya and is three hours from both Varanasi and Lucknow by train on a broad gauge railway line. From Ayodhya to Varanasi two trains are available – the Farakka Express and the Saryu Yamuna Express. There is also a local train service from Ayodhya to Faizabad.
By Road
The nearest bus hub to Ayodhya is at Faizabad (6 km) and it is connected to Lucknow, Allahabad and Gorakhpur in regular bus service. An early morning bus service to Sunauli, for Nepal from Faizabad bus stand is also available. The distance from some major cities are : Lucknow – 141 km, Varanasi – 190 km, Allahabad – 167 km, Gorakhpur – 140 km.
