The city of Ayodhya, also known as Oudh or Awadh, is in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located east of Faizabad, on the Ghaghara River. In the classic Indian epic poem Ramayana, Ayodhya is associated with the birth of Rama and with the rule of his father, Dasharatha. It is, therefore, one of the seven sacred cities to Hindus. This account claims that the town was affluent, well-defended, and home to a sizable population.

Ayodhya was the early capital of the kingdom of Kosala in traditional history, but Shravasti became the capital of the country in Buddhist times (6th–5th century BCE). In general, academics believe the town of Saket, where Buddha is claimed to have lived for a while, and the town of Ayodhya is the same.

Ayodhya As A Historic City

When it was an important city in civilized India around the 6th century, Ayodhya was known as Saketa. Saketa was controlled by Prasenadi, whose capital was Sravasti, during the time of Buddha.

The city of Saketa remained important even during the Mauryan administration, and in 190 BC, a Bactrian Greek expedition united with Panchala and Mathur assaulted it.

When the Gupta dynasty ruled, Holy City attained its greatest political prominence.

The capital of the empire was moved from Pataliputra to Ayodhya, where Ayodhya supplanted the ancient name of Saketa. The city’s name, Ayodhya, designates it as the seat of Lord Rama’s government. However, the empire was devastated by the Huns under the reign of Narasimhagupta, resulting in the transfer of the capital to Kanauj in the sixth century.

As a result, Holy City was completely forgotten. Gahadavalas rose to power in Kannauj during the beginning of the second millennium. Gahadavalas erected a number of Vishnu temples in Ayodhya during his reign. Within Vaishnavism, the cult of Rama grew in popularity as the greatest incarnation of Vishnu. Consequently, the significance of Ayodhya as a pilgrimage site increased.

After India’s freedom from British domination, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh’s spiritual capital, has always been an important city.

The epics mention City as the capital of Kosala, and Ayodhya is the fabled city described as such. An inscription by Dhanadeva, who calls himself the lord of Kosala, dates back to the first century BCE and is discovered near what is now Ayodhya.

Ayodhya is also mentioned in subsequent inscriptions.

The Ramanandi sect first gained prominence in Ayodhya in the 13th century, and since then, it has been a major focus for Rama worship.

The town is mentioned in several inscriptions dating from the 5th to the 8th century, but no mention is made of its connection to Rama. Buddhism is linked to the city according to Xuanzang’s (c. 602–664 CE) texts.

In addition, it was a significant Jain pilgrimage site, and an ancient Jain figure (dating from the 4th to the 3rd century BCE) was discovered on the property. There is no mention of Rama’s birthplace in the 11th-century scriptures, although they do mention Gopataru tirtha in Ayodhya.

Ram ki Nagri as a Mythological City

According to the Ramayana, Ayodhya was built by Manu, the first human being, and covered an area of 12×3 yojanas. Mahabharata describes Ayodhya as Kosala’s capital, home to both Rama and Dasharatha, in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Harishchandra, according to the Purana-Pancha-Lakshana, was one of the Ikshvaku monarchs who called this city their capital.

This city was formerly governed by Dasaratha, an Ikshvaku descendent, according to the Ramayana.

After being exiled to the wilderness, his son Rama eventually made his way back to the city, where he established a stable government. After his death, Rama split the kingdom between his two sons (Lava and Kusa) and set them up as kings of North and South Kosala, with their respective capitals at Shravasti and Kushavati. To get to heaven, everyone in the city of Sarayu jumped into the Sarayu river, including Rama.

According to the Mahabharata, they climbed from Gopratara Tirtha. King Rishabha afterward repopulated Ayodhya.

Several additional Rama-based pieces of literature make reference to Ayodhya. The poet Bhsa’s Abhisheka and Pratimanataka (from the 2nd century CE or before) and Kalidasa’s Raghuvamsha (c. 5th century CE).

Older portions of the Mahabharata and Puranas identify Holy City as the city of the Ikshvaku rulers. Still, they don’t specify that it was on the Sarayu river’s banks, according to historian Hans T. Bakker.

According to the Ramayana, it was located near the Sarayu river, but that’s all we know for sure.

In the Ramayana, for example, the funeral processions of Dasharatha used palanquins and chariots to travel from the city to Sarayu, which implies to Bakker that Sarayu was located some distance away from the city.

However, according to Bakker, Ayodhya is only clearly described as being on the Sarayu river’s banks in the more recent portions of the Ramayana (around the 5th century).

They agree that a city Really existed in ancient times where Ram Has Completed His Life, but disagree if it was the same as the present holy city or the fabled city mentioned in the epic poem “the Ramayana.”.

According to ancient Buddhist writings, the ancient town of Ayodhya was situated on the banks of the river Ganga (Ganges) and not Sarayu, as previously thought. The Samyutta Nikaya, for example, says that “Once Lord Buddha was strolling in Ayodhya on the Ganga river bank.”.. Commentary on Samyutta Nikaya by Buddhaghosha states that the people of Ayodhya erected a vihara for the Buddha “in the bend of the Gange.”