Ayodhya / Awadh / Saketh

Ayodhya is one of the Saptapuri (seven sacred cities) in the Hindu religion. Nestled in the banks of the Sarayu river, Lord Rama (seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu) is believed to have been born in this city as per the Ramayana (ancient Hindu text). A pilgrimage to this city is considered to increase Punya (virtues) and decrease Paap (vices).

Sarayu River

Before setting foot in any temple in Ayodhya, the pilgrims must take a dip in the Sarayu river. Legend has it that Lord Rama and his brother Lakshman left this earthly abode by jumping into the Sarayu river. Where Lord Rama is, his most devout disciple Lord Hanuman cannot be far behind. So, you can find many temples dedicated to Lord Hanuman who played a key role in finding Sita at Lanka where Ravana had imprisoned her after abducting her.

Valmiki' Ashram

When Valmiki started writing the Ramayana, he opened with the glories of this city, its monarch and its people. You can see the texts on the wall of Valmiki' ashram.

Ram and Sita 

Many of the pilgrims were impatient to see the Ram Temple which is under dispute (The original temple was razed by Mughal Emperor Babar and a masjid was erected in its places; now the Hindu community wants that the original Ram Temple be built back on this site). We were first taken to the workshop where the model of the proposed Ram Temple was shown and then all the pillars and the ceilings which were in the process of being completed. The carvings on the pillars and ceiling are so intricate and wonderful to behold. Then, we saw the stone statues of Lord Rama and Sita which were apparently under the disputed site. The other statues of Lord Ram and Sita are almost 5 times in size but still your eyes would continue to linger on those simple stone statues.Note: Monkeys are all around and can play havoc if you open bags of things to eat. They are also a curious lot not to mention aggressive too; so take care of your cameras, phones and money too.
We were then given a talk on the matrys who were shot while demolishing the Babri Masjid in 1992 and shown the exact location which is now renamed as 'Shaheed Galli' (Road of Martys). To see the disputed site, you need to deposit all your belongings including medicines & wait in queue for over 1.5-2 hours. After which, you can see Hanuman Garhi an important temple (you need to climb about 70+ steps) dedicated to Lord Hanuman.

The Ramayana was brought to life on TV by Ramanand Sagar in 1986. As a child, I was fascinated by the epic and its places and since then, it had been my dearest wish to see Lord Rama' city. To be honest, I was sorely disappointed. Yes, there are hundreds of temples dedicated to the Lord and his humble disciple Hanuman, but the surroundings leave a lot to be desired; it is not even close to what is described in the Ramayana. The people of this city were written to have been idealistic, peace-loving and on the path of dharma but the impression that I got during this trip was nothing close to it. Ayodhya literally means 'one that cannot be conquered by war' yet people persist here persist in disputes, hatred and clashes.
Whatever happened to love and peace in your city, O Lord Rama?