Ayodhya is a beautiful pilgrimage city in the Uttar Pradesh state of Bharat (India). It is the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram, worshiped by a larger population of the country. Ayodhya has recently got a grand Shri Ram temple. It has beautiful sculptures carved into its walls and pillars. These carvings let you feel the rich and ancient Indian culture while you seek the blessings of Lord Shri Ram. Ayodhya also has a clean Sarayu river flowing beside it where you can take a dip to feel the nature. Additionally, there are several religious places to visit. The list includes Hanuman Garhi, Kanak Bhawan, Chooti Chhawni, and Dashrath Mahal.

Let me take you through my trip to this blissful and holy city.

How did I reach Ayodhya?

I reside in Delhi from where one can take a flight or train to reach Ayodhya. I decided to go by train due to budget constraints. I took the Vande Bharat Express train that leaves from Anand Vihar railway station at 6:10 am.

It was my first time on the Vande Bharat train and I was impressed with it. It was to arrive in Ayodhya Cantt., Railway station at 02:30 PM and it reached on time. After alighting from the train I walked a bit as the local transporters were demanding ₹350 for Shri Ram Janmbhumi. After walking a few meters, I found an electric rickshaw that dropped me at the bus stand for ₹10. I took a shared auto from there, which dropped me one kilometre away from the newly built Ram Mandir. The government buses also run from the bus stand that drops right in front of the temple. The fare for both remains ₹10. The auto rickshaw dropped me at Tedhi Bazaar from where I walked for 20 minutes to reach the temple. The river bank and other places to visit in Ayodhya fall within a range of around 1-1.5 km from Shri Ram Janmbhoomi.

Reaching the Shri Ram Temple Ayodhya

The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi temple is nearly one kilometre from the main road where the bus dropped us off. We walked from there to the temple which took around 20 minutes. That path was filled with devotees chanting Jai Shree Ram but it didn’t feel crowded.

It’s because that path was wide enough with multilane arrangements. After halfway, there was a frisking area with separate queues for men and women. After the frisking, we walked further and reached the dedicated area to leave the footwear.

We kept the footwear and took the token that needed to be shown while taking the footwear back. The next destination was the locker room. It has several windows, therefore, it took no more than 5 minutes to submit the baggage. It doesn’t take time to submit your belongings here because they don’t count your belongings. Your phone, bag, and other things would be kept in a locker and keys would be handed over to you. When you return the key, they will unlock the locker and hand over your belongings to you. I am very impressed with this arrangement because it is secure and quick.

Visiting the Shri Ram Temple Ayodhya

After submitting our belongings, we didn’t have to worry about our phones and other things. This is the most important thing that is needed while visiting any temple. Now our complete focus was on getting a sight of the Lord Shri Ram. We stood in the queue with a free mind, chanting the name of the God within. Shortly, the devotees started chanting “Jai Shree Ram” loudly which filled us with enthusiasm. We also chanted the name of the Lord and it felt wonderful but the main course was soon to come.

The moment we put our feet on the last step of the ladder, Bhagwan Shri Ram Chandra was in front of us. The moment I got the sight of Ram Lala, I could not speak “Jai Shree Ram”. My eyes got filled with tears and the same thing happened with my wife as she told me later. I cannot express that feeling in words but I am 100% sure that some part of Shri Ram always resides there. We got a couple of minutes to stare at Shri Ram Lala because the process of entering and exiting takes that much time. However, it was not enough for us, therefore we went there again, the next morning. Let me also tell you that we felt like we were leaving our parental home while exiting from the temple. This was our experience inside the Ram Janmbhumi temple. After that we moved towards the Sarayu River which is also known as Ghaghra River. 

Visiting the Naya Ghat at of Sarayu River

We walked to the Naya Ghat as people said that it wasn’t too far from the temple. After walking for about one kilometer, we reached the place. After reaching there, we were not very happy as it was a man-made riverbank that looked a lot like a swimming pool.

We walked along the river for some time and then met a man who offered us a homestay. The room was a lot like old houses in the village but the charge was only ₹500. After that, we left for the Naya Ghat, and as we reached there the laser show started.

It lasted for about 45 minutes and was wonderful. We didn’t go away from there until the show was completed.

Dinner

As we were tired, we didn’t want to walk anymore. Therefore, we decided to eat street food. We ate Masala Dosa and Kadhi Rice which cost us around ₹120. It was pocket-friendly as well as tasty. Later, we went back to the homestay.

Morning Walk to the Old Ghat

We wanted to see a bigger river and a spacious riverbank. Therefore, we asked the homestay owner where the Old riverbank – the bigger one – is. He guided us the way to reach there and we walked to that place. On the way, we witnessed the beauty of the Naya Ghat, Ram Path, and Lata Mangeshkar Chowk.

Visiting the Janak Vatika

On the way, there was a Garden named Janak Vatika which was very beautiful.

We walked around it for about an hour, clicked a few pictures, and moved forward.

Bathing in the Sarayu River

The Old Ghat of the Sarayu River was right next to the Janak Vatika. We walked on the river bank for some time and witnessed the weather change in a matter of seconds. It was a wonderful view which we captured on our phones.

After treating ourselves to the morning breeze, we decided to take a dip into the river. The administration has created several areas in the river that are surrounded by plastic barricades to ensure the people’s safety. As none of us knew how to swim, we didn’t go beyond that barricading. However, we enjoyed a lot there and came out of the water after about an hour.

Re-visiting the Shri Ram Temple

After bathing in the Sarayu, we decided to see Ram Lala again as we were not satisfied with a single visit. We walked to the temple and completed our second visit in an hour.

Returning Home

After that, we went back to the homestay to pick up the luggage. On the way, we ate veg-kebab paratha – a street food – as there was a long wait in the restaurants. We checked out from the homestay but still had some time left. Therefore, we sat on the stairs of the Naya Ghat and witnessed the people around us. A few were swimming while the others were jumping in the water, everyone was trying to get the maximum there. We also didn’t want to leave that place but the clock was indicating us to move to the railway station. Therefore, we walked to Lata Chowk and boarded the city bus that dropped us at the Ayodhya Bus station. The bus fare was ₹20 per person and it took only half an hour to reach the bus station. It is important to inform you that this Bus stand is formally known as Faizabad bus stand.

We walked to the Ayodhya Cantt., railway station from the bus stand which took around 30 minutes. We boarded the train 20 minutes early that dropped us at Old Delhi Railway station the next morning at 5 AM.