Mandirs in Ayodhyaਅਯੁੱਧਿਆ ਦੇ ਮੰਦਰ

Ayodhya, on the Saryu river in Uttar Pradesh, is the city Hindu tradition honours as the birthplace of Rama, and its temples form a single walking story: a new temple at the birthplace site, a fort-like Hanuman shrine that pilgrims visit first, and a golden palace temple for Rama and Sita. This guide covers the three mandirs at the heart of a pilgrim's Ayodhya: the Ram Mandir, Hanuman Garhi and Kanak Bhawan. Jugti's full entry for the Ram Mandir is linked below; the other two are introduced here and will receive their own full entries in time.

Ram Mandir: the new temple at the birthplace

At Ram Janmabhoomi stands the Ram Mandir, consecrated on 22 January 2024, with the childhood form of Rama, Ram Lalla, in the ground-floor sanctum. It is built in the traditional Nagara style of North India: about 380 feet long, 250 feet wide and 161 feet high, carried on 392 pillars with 44 doors, its pillars and walls carved with images of deities. The builders used traditional methods and no iron or steel anywhere in the structure; a 14-metre layer of roller-compacted concrete forms the foundation, and a 21-foot granite plinth guards against ground moisture. The main entrance, the Sinh Dwar, is reached by 32 stairs on the eastern side, and inside are five halls: Nritya, Rang, Sabha, Prarthana and Kirtan Mandap. A designed play of mirrors and lenses brings sunlight onto Ram Lalla's forehead at noon on Ram Navami each year, the Surya Tilak.

Hanuman Garhi: visit the guardian first

Custom in Ayodhya says a pilgrim should visit Hanuman before Rama, and the place for that is Hanuman Garhi, near Ram Janmabhoomi. Tradition tells that after the return from Lanka, Hanuman lived here in a cave and guarded Ramkot, the citadel of Rama; the temple is regarded as a 10th-century foundation, and tradition credits King Vikramaditya with building it along with hundreds of other temples. The shrine is run by the Bairagi Mahants of the Ramanandi Sampradaya and the Nirvani Akhara. Its history has hard chapters too: in 1855, after repeated attempts to attack it, the Nawab of Awadh granted land revenue for the temple, and historian Sarvepalli Gopal has noted that the famous 1855 dispute in Ayodhya concerned Hanuman Garhi itself.

The temple is shaped like a four-sided fort with circular bastions at each corner, and 76 stairs climb to the main shrine. Inside, the sanctum holds a small image, about 6 inches, of the child Hanuman seated on the lap of his mother Anjani, wearing a silver tulsi garland inscribed with Rama's name. The verses of the Hanuman Chalisa are inscribed on the walls, and the complex has a Vijay Stambh, a victory pillar. Its big days are Hanuman Jayanti, Bada Mangal, Ram Navami, Dussehra and Deepawali.

Kanak Bhawan: the golden palace of Rama and Sita

North-east of Ramkot stands Kanak Bhawan, the Golden Palace. Devotees believe Kaikeyi gave this palace to Sita as a gift immediately after her marriage to Rama, making it their personal palace; tradition adds rebuildings across the ages, by Rama's son Kush and, devotees say, by Krishna himself, with a medieval renovation credited to Vikramaditya. The present temple was built in 1891 by Maharaj Mahendra Pratap Singh of Orchha and Tikamgarh and his wife Maharani Vrishabhan Kunwari, and it is designed as a great palace in the manner of Rajasthan and Bundelkhand. The sanctum holds three pairs of images of Rama and Sita: the largest installed by the Maharani, a medium pair linked to Vikramaditya, and the smallest, which tradition says Krishna gave to a woman devotee worshipping Rama at this spot. Its festivals are Ram Navami and Janaki Navami.

How do the three temples fit together on a visit?

The three shrines sit close together in the old city and are usually done in one round, in the order custom suggests: Hanuman Garhi first, to take the guardian's leave, then the Ram Mandir at the birthplace, then Kanak Bhawan, the couple's palace, quieter and more domestic in mood. Ayodhya's great festival days, Ram Navami and Deepawali, draw the largest crowds to all three. This guide is part of Jugti's mandirs in India collection.

All Mandirs in Ayodhya

• Ram Mandir : the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi, consecrated on 22 January 2024, a Nagara-style temple of 392 pillars housing Ram Lalla
• Hanuman Garhi: the fort-shaped Hanuman temple near Ram Janmabhoomi, climbed by 76 stairs, where pilgrims customarily begin (full entry coming)
• Kanak Bhawan: the Golden Palace temple of Rama and Sita, built in its present form in 1891, holding three pairs of their images (full entry coming)