Ayodhya

Ayodhya is a city on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, serving as the administrative headquarters of both Ayodhya district and Ayodhya division. Formerly known as Saketa, it was renamed Ayodhya during the Gupta period. The city is revered in Hinduism as the legendary birthplace of Rama and is counted among the seven most important Hindu pilgrimage sites; early Buddhist and Jain texts also record visits by Gautama Buddha and Mahavira. The Babri mosque, built there in 1528-29 under the Mughal emperor Babur, was demolished by a mob in 1992, triggering nationwide riots; in 2019 India's Supreme Court awarded the disputed site for construction of the Ram Mandir temple, which was consecrated in January 2024, while granting separate land for a mosque. Ayodhya became Uttar Pradesh's top tourist destination in 2024, drawing 110 million visitors in six months.