Today the echo of Ram's name has spread from Ayodhya to the entire country. But how was Ayodhya before Ram? Who settled Ayodhya? Why was this place so important in history?

Explore the history of Ayodhya, Ram, and Ram Temple in the first episode of Globeway Travels' special blog 'Ayodhya Ram Mandir - All about Ram Janmabhoomi the Ayodhya City'. Know where Ayodhya is mentioned in history.

There is mention of Ayodhya in the Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, and Valmiki Ramayana, but it seems impossible to calculate the age of Ayodhya based on these texts.

Mention of Ayodhya Ram Mandir - Ram Janmabhoomi the Ayodhya City in Atharvaveda

अष्टशचक्रा नवद्वारा देवानां पूरयोध्या। तस्यां हिरण्यय: कोश: स्वगों ज्योतिषावृतः ।॥2.31|| This is a mantra in the second sukta of the 10th division of Atharvaveda. It means - Ayodhya with eight circular palaces and nine gates is the temple of Gods, it has a treasury of light, which is full of joy and light. This mantra shows that even during the Atharvaveda period, Ayodhya was not only inhabited but was quite prosperous.

12 synonyms of Ayodhya in Vedas, Upanishads - After the Vedas, the word Ayodhya is always mentioned in Shiv Samhita, Vashishtha Samhita, and Shuka Samhita where it is also called 'Saket Lok' and 'Ram Lok'.

If we search all the Vedas, Upanishads, and Samhitas, we find 12 names of Ayodhya. These 12 names are-

"Ayodhya, Anandini, Satya, Sat, Saket, Koshala, Vimala, Aparajita, Brahmapuri, Pramodavan, Santanikaloka and Divyaloka".

The geography of Ayodhya has been explained in 23 verses in the fifth canto of Balkand of Valmiki Ramayana.

According to this: 'The city of Ayodhya was 12 yojanas long and 3 yojanas wide. On the banks of river Saryu, there was a big country named Kosala, full of happy people, full of wealth and grains, which was gradually progressing.'

According to this, Ayodhya is approximately 5200 square km. Was spread in. Today's Ayodhya city is 120.8 square km. It is settled in me. That means, at that time, Ayodhya was about 44 times bigger than today's Ayodhya.

Ayodhya Ram Mandir - Ram Janmabhoomi the Ayodhya City in the Medieval Period

Historian A.L. According to Basham, the Rig Veda mentions that Saryu was compiled about 3500 years ago. Whereas the Atharvaveda in which Ayodhya is mentioned, its compilation must have been completed 3000 years ago. For this reason, some historians argue that the age of Ayodhya would be equal to that of Atharvaveda. Historians like Dr. Yacobi Macdonald and Monier Williams also believe that Ram was born 2500 to 3000 years ago.

However, those who calculate according to the Vedas and Puranas do not agree with this. It is believed that the Vedas existed long before their compilation and were in the Shruti tradition. Instead of writing, they were taught to the next generation by speaking. Ayodhya was mentioned in the Shruti tradition long before the compilation of Atharvaveda and hence its existence was also much before this. Former Vice Chancellor of Vikram University, Ujjain, B.K. Sharma says that Rama was born at the beginning of Treta Yuga. Add the time of each era and Ram would have been born about 8.70 lakh years ago.

​Who is Shree Ramchandra?

Story of Ram incarnation of Vishnu in Skanda Purana - There is a story of Ram incarnation in Skanda Purana. After receiving the boon of being invincible from Shiva, Ravana started tormenting the gods. All the gods reached Shiv for help. Nandi had already cursed Ravana that when an ascetic and his monkey commander would come to Lanka, Ravana would be killed. The gods told this to Vishnu. At his request, the gods took the monkey incarnation. Shiv took Hanuman's incarnation and Vishnu himself took the incarnation of Ram.

According to the Puranas, Ram is the 64th king of Ayodhya. Ayodhya was the capital of the Suryavanshi kings. This is considered to be the longest dynasty in Indian history. There is mention of 123 kings of this clan in the genealogy. Of these, 93 ruled before the Mahabharata and 30 after the Mahabharata. According to the Puranas, there were the first 11 Suryavanshi kings of Ayodhya, Dasharatha was the 63rd king and Ram was the 64th king. Only the 21st king of this clan, Mandhata, is mentioned in the Vedas.

How to Reach Shree Ayodhya Ram Mandir

After the consecration of Ram Lalla on January 22, around 2 lakh people are expected to come to Ayodhya every day. Flights to Ayodhya have started from 5 cities. Railways are running new trains and roadways have also kept buses ready. 675 homestays and hotels are ready in Ayodhya. If the budget is less, there are Dharamshalas, where rooms can be found even for Rs 100.

Flights from Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad to Ayodhya - Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya have become operational from December 30, 2023, before the consecration of Ram Lalla. From here flights will be available for Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangalore. The airport is just 10 km away from Ram Janmabhoomi, which means after having a darshan of Ramlala, one can reach the airport in half an hour. Airline company Indigo has set a target to connect Ayodhya Airport with 80 big cities in the country in the next 2 years. Regular flights from Kolkata to Ayodhya will start from January 19. The Air India Express flight from Kolkata will take off at 11.05 am and land in Ayodhya at 12.50 pm. The base fare of the flight is Rs 4557. Depending on the demand, it can go up to Rs 12 thousand.

Rail Route: 1000 trains will run in the next 100 days, new terminal built for Rs 240 crore.

Railways has also started Amrit Bharat and Vande Bharat trains. Due to an increase in the number of passengers in the future, the Ayodhya Dham railway station here has been rebuilt. Railways will run 100 trains in the next 100 days from January 19. Railway Board Chairperson Jaya Verma told Bhaskar that on December 30, Prime Minister Modi had flagged off two Amrit Bharat Expresses from here. After the consecration of Ram Lalla, trains will also run from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Roadways: 116 buses will run from Ayodhya, direct bus service to 11 cities including Delhi-Lucknow,

Roadways have also made preparations for the devotees coming to Ayodhya. There are two bus stands here. At present buses are not running from the new bus stand. Buses are available from the old bus stop in Faizabad Cantt. Regarding the buses coming to Ayodhya before the Ram temple inauguration ceremony, station in-charge Vijay Mishra says, 'At present the depot has a total of 116 buses. Of these, there are 112 ordinary and 4 AC buses. Apart from UP, it will also go to Delhi. The more than 50-year-old Ayodhya bus stop runs direct buses to Delhi, Kaushambi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Kushinagar, Azamgarh, Rae Bareli, Prayagraj, Gonda, Basti and Gorakhpur. Kaushambi depot buses run on the Delhi route. City buses are running to go inside the city.

Estimated arrival of 5 lakh people, hotel fare reached Rs 35 thousand.

Due to the inauguration of Ram temple, most of the hotels in Ayodhya are booked. In big hotels like Shaan-e-Awadh, Park Inn, Ramayan, Radisson, Panchsheel, Kohinoor, Royal Heritage, Trimurti, and Awadh Sunshine, the daily rent ranges from Rs 4 thousand to Rs 35 thousand.

175 hotels and dharamshalas have been arranged for those coming to Ayodhya. Rooms will be available in Dharamshalas even for Rs 100. Travelers can stay here at their convenience and budget.

According to the Tourism Department of Ayodhya, in one year more than 500 houses have been developed on the lines of homestays in Ram Nagari. A condition was laid down in this that any landlord can convert only a maximum of 5 rooms in the house into a homestay. With the construction of homestay, the load on hotels and dharamshalas of Ayodhya will be reduced.

Free food in the dharamshalas of Ram Path, Bhakti Path, and Janmabhoomi Path.

Arrangements for food and breakfast have been made at many places in the city for the devotees coming to Ayodhya. Devotees coming from outside will get free food in the Dharamshalas on the Ram Path, Bhakti Path, and Janmabhoomi Path. For this, devotees will have to show their Aadhar card.

Restaurant chains like Pizza Hut, Domino's, Aura Food, Evergreen Restaurant, and Ramprastha have also opened around Ramlala Temple in the city. Most of the devotees will come to see Ramlala through the 84 Kosi Parikrama route. Therefore, liquor shops will be kept closed here.

Helicopter service from Varanasi to Ayodhya.

There are also preparations to run a cruise boat and helicopter in Ayodhya from February. However, we will have to wait for these now. Regional Tourism Officer Rajendra Pratap Yadav says, 'Talks are going on with many companies for helicopter connectivity from Varanasi to Ayodhya. According to Rajendra Pratap Yadav, the project of running cruise boats in the Saryu River is currently on hold. Repairing and decoration work of Jatayu Cruise is going on at Guptar Ghat. Soon, along with the Alaknanda Cruise, the Jatayu Cruise will also be launched in Saryu.

Questions and answers that one should know before going to Ayodhya

When will common people be able to have the darshan of Ramlala?

• Answer: From today i.e. 23rd January itself, common devotees can have darshan of Ramlala. Champat Rai, General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had told on January 15 that the temple will be open for every Ram devotee from January 23. The first Shayan Aarti of Ramlala took place in the new temple on the night of 22 January. After this, the doors were closed. The temple is open for all devotees after Utthan Aarti on 23 January.

What will be the opening and closing times of the temple?

• Answer: Ram temple will be open for devotees from 7 am to 11:30 am. After this, there will be a midday Aarti of the Lord. The temple will remain closed in the afternoon for about two and a half hours for enjoyment and rest. The doors of the temple will open again at 2 pm and Ramlala will be seen till 7 pm. However, the Trust is considering increasing the darshan time.

What permission will be required to go to Ram temple?

• Answer: No, there will be an entry here just like normal temples. However, to attend the Aarti, a pass will have to be taken from the office of Shri Ram Mandir Teerth Kshetra Trust. You will get the pass by showing your Aadhar card. At present only 30 people will participate in the Aarti at a time.

Will a money slip have to be cut for the darshan of Ramlala?

• Answer: There will be no cost for darshan in Ram temple. There will be no need to cut any slip for this. It will be necessary to take a pass to attend Mangala Aarti in the morning, Midday Aarti in the afternoon, and Evening Aarti. The Trust has issued guidelines that no fee will be charged from the devotees for darshan. If someone asks for money to get a quick darshan, then one can complain to the trust office.

What can and what not be taken to the temple?

• Answer: There will be multiple layers of security in Ram temple. Devotees will have to deposit gadgets like cell phones and smartwatches, even pens outside. There is a ban on carrying any kind of electronic item on the temple premises.
• A security point has been built a few steps ahead of the entry point of Ram temple. Before this is the locker room. Before darshan, mobiles and other electronic items are deposited in this locker room.

Where will one get Prasad for Ramlala?

• Answer: According to Champat Rai, General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Trust, after the inauguration of the Ram temple, the Prasad service for the devotees will remain the same as before. After darshan, devotees will be given prasad from the temple. There is no arrangement to bring Prasad from outside.

Special Shree Ayodhya Ram Mandir Darshan - Special Thanks & Courtesy to Dainik Bhaskar App.