Ayodhya is a very old city in India, popular as the birthplace of Lord Rama and the setting of Ramayana, one of the oldest and greatest epics of the world. It is also known as Saketa. It is located in the central region of Uttar Pradesh in northern India adjacent to the city of Faridabad and is about 134km away from Lucknow.
A deeply spiritual experience and feeling is brought by the ghats of Saryu in Ayodhya. A holy dip in the Saryu River is what pilgrims consider sacred and truly auspicious.
Although Ayodhya enjoys a decently good climate right throughout the year, however, still it is recommended for tourists to visit during the winter months as the summer may be a bit too hot at times.
Ayodhya is pretty well connected by all the three modes of transport- road, airways and railways. Situated on the broad gauge Northern Line on Mughal Sarai, Ayodhya is very well connected to different parts of India by many a train. The nearest airports are Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport (Lucknow-134 km) and Bumrauli Airport (Allahabad - 166 km). Through roadways also it is very well connected to different parts of the country.
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 descendants of the Surya dynasty of which lord Rama was the most celebrated king.
Ayodhya is pre-eminently a city of temples yet, all the places of worship here, are not only of Hindu religion. At Ayodhya several religions have grown and prospered simultaneously and also at different periods of time in the past. Remnants of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam can still be found in Ayodhya. According to Jain belief, five tirthankaras were born at Ayodhya, including Adinath (Rishabhadeva), the 1st tirthankar.
