Ayodhya Travel Guide: Ram Mandir, Hanuman Garhi and the Saryu Ghats

UP Tourism counts Ayodhya among the seven holiest towns of ancient India, the Saptpuris. Its sights fall into three groups: the Ram Mandir and the temples around it, the ghats on the Saryu, and older sites a few kilometres out of town.

Ram Mandir (Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir)

The temple stands at the site traditionally held to be Ram's birthplace and was consecrated on 22 January 2024. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, which publishes the temple's visitor information, gives the main temple three floors and a height of 161 feet including the spire. Darshan runs in timed slots through the day, and separate passes cover the morning aartis, Mangal and Shringar, and the night aarti, Shayan. The trust says it charges no fee for darshan or aarti passes. Reserve them on its own booking portal, which its website links to, and read the current slot times there, because the trust revises them.

Hanuman Garhi

UP Tourism describes Hanuman Garhi as a fort-shaped temple in the middle of the town, where Hanuman is believed to have lived in a cave to protect Ayodhya. The district administration places it about 1 km from Ayodhya railway station and says the main temple holds an image of the young Hanuman seated on the lap of his mother, Anjani. Our Ayodhya Ram Mandir tour includes it, and our Hanuman Garhi article has more on the temple.

Kanak Bhawan

Kanak Bhawan stands north-east of the Ram Janmabhoomi site, in the Ramkot area of the town. Tradition holds that Kaikeyi gave it to Sita soon after her marriage to Ram, and the district describes it as the private palace of Sita and Ram. The building seen today was rebuilt by Vrish Bhanu Kunwari, and the sanctum holds the main images of Ram and Sita. Because it lies in the same area as the Ram Mandir, the two can be seen on the same morning. Our Kanak Bhawan article has more on the temple.

Ram ki Paidi and the Saryu ghats

Ram ki Paidi is a series of ghats on the bank of the Saryu where devotees bathe, and the district says the riverfront looks its best when floodlit at night. Our Ayodhya tour includes the Saryu ghats, where a riverside evening aarti is held. Deepotsav, the Department of Tourism's festival on the day before Diwali, known as Choti Diwali, lights lakhs of diyas and adds a staged Ramleela, a heritage walk and a Grand Aarti.

Nageshwarnath Temple

The temple trust describes Nageshwarnath as the presiding deity of Ayodhya and says the temple is believed to have been built by Ram's son Kusha. It draws its largest crowds on Trayodashi and at Mahashivaratri. The district lists the temple at Ram ki Paidi, so it is easy to combine with a walk along the ghats. Our article on the Nageshwarnath temple has more on its story.

Mani Parvat

Mani Parvat is a hill west of Vidya Kund that the temple trust's places-to-see page says Garuda brought for Sita's enjoyment at Ram's command. It lies on the Antargrahi parikrama route described below. During the Shravan Jhula Mela, which UP Tourism dates to July and August, idols of Ram, Lakshman and Sita are carried here in procession and swings are hung from the trees. It is a short stop for anyone walking the parikrama or visiting during the festival.

Gulab Bari

Gulab Bari is the tomb of Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula, the third Nawab of Awadh, and the district describes it as standing at the centre of a charbagh, a four-part garden, with fountains, water channels and beds of roses; the name means garden of roses. It is the sight to choose when you want something that is not a temple, and the district notes that local people treat it as a holy place too.

Nandigram and Bharat Kund

Nandigram lies about 18 km south of Ayodhya. The temple trust says this is where Bharat set up Ram's padukas, his sandals, and waited out the fourteen years of the exile, and it lists Bharat Kund here too. Allow a few hours, since it is 18 km out and reached by road. It suits a second day, once the main temples are done.

The parikramas

UP Tourism lists three sacred circuits. The Antargrahi parikrama is the shortest and is completed in a day: a dip in the Saryu, then Ram Ghat, Sita Kund, Mani Parvat, Brahma Kund and Kanak Bhawan. The Panchkoshi parikrama covers 16 km from Chakratirth, and the Chaturdashkoshi, at 45 km, is completed in one day on Akshaynavami. The Parikrama Mela is held in October and November.

The trust's website says "Trust does not charge any fee for aarti & darshan passes" and sends visitors to its own booking portal to reserve them. That portal is where passes are reserved, and any fee asked for a pass does not come from the trust. Pass-holders are asked to follow the instructions printed on the pass, which also sets the time you are given, so read it before you leave your hotel.

What you may carry inside, and how security screening works, is set by the trust and can change, so we do not list rules here. Our Ram Mandir tour asks guests to dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, expects shoes to come off before the temple premises, and advises carrying as little as possible to speed up screening. We arrange a private guide and vehicle for the tour, timed around darshan hours and the current visitor guidelines, which we confirm before your visit.

UP Tourism gives October to March as the best season. Summers can reach 47°C and winters fall to about 10°C. In late December, India's meteorological department has warned that dense fog over Uttar Pradesh can affect airports, highways and railway routes, so leave a margin around flights and trains then. Its Lucknow office gives 20 June as the normal start of the monsoon in the state and 10 October as the normal end.

Festivals bring the biggest crowds. UP Tourism lists Ram Navami (March to April), the Rathyatra (June to July), the Shravan Jhula Mela (July to August), the Parikrama Mela and Saryu Snan (October to November), Ram Vivah (November) and the Ramayan Mela (December to January), plus Deepotsav on the day before Diwali. Dates move with the lunar calendar, so check them before you book.

• By air: Maharishi Valmiki International Airport is about 10 km from Ayodhya Dham, according to the district administration, and was inaugurated on 30 December 2023. Several airlines fly in from major cities. Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Varanasi airports are the alternatives.
• By train: Ayodhya Dham and Ayodhya Cantt are the main stations. Indian Railways lists a Vande Bharat Express between Ayodhya Cantt and Anand Vihar Terminal in Delhi; check IRCTC for the days it runs. Our guide to booking Indian trains explains the process for visitors from abroad.
• By road: The temple trust gives Lucknow about 130 km, Gorakhpur about 140 km, Prayagraj about 160 km, Varanasi about 200 km and Delhi about 636 km. UPSRTC buses run round the clock, and the district lists frequent services from Lucknow, Delhi and Gorakhpur.

Local transport is by taxi, e-rickshaw, tempo, bus and cycle-rickshaw, the UP Tourism list. Our Ayodhya tour comes with a private guide and vehicle.