ON ITS WAY TO ‘NAVNIRMAN’
ALONG WITH THE RAM TEMPLE, THE CENTRE AND THE UTTAR PRADESH GOVERNMENT ARE POURING IN Rs 5,000 CRORE TO RECREATE AYODHYA AS A FOCAL POINT OF HINDU RELIGIOUS TOURISM
The BJP is pouring over Rs 5,000 crore to recreate Ayodhya as a focal point of Hindu religious tourism
On August 5, residents of Ayodhya, their excitement clearly brimming over and not to be restrained by anything as mundane as physical distancing in the time of a pandemic, gathered at the mythical Ram ki Paidi ghats in the evening. There, they lit some 350,000 diyas, in a new ‘deepotsav’ to mark the beginning of the construction of the Ram temple.
After all, a “new chapter in India’s history” was beginning, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said earlier in the day after performing the bhoomi poojan and laying the foundation stone for the temple. A 22.6 kg brick of pure silver was used to consecrate the occasion. The constraints imposed by the pandemic were visible here, though; PM Modi shared the dais with just four other people—RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Ram Janmabhoomi Teerthkshetra Trust chairman Nritya Gopaldas, Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel and chief minister Yogi Adityanath. All told, only 175 people got invites for the function, many of them spiritual leaders and others associated with the Ram temple movement from the beginning. A few notable faces from the time were missed. Modi also became the first prime minister to visit the Ram Janmabhoomi site and the Hanumangarhi temple, the oldest in Ayodhya. He also planted a sapling of the Parijat tree before the event. In his address, the PM called it a day of liberation and also compared it to August 15, Independence Day, adding that the construction of the Ram temple would pave the way for the development of Ayodhya as a city that attracts the attention of the world.
And this could happen if the Adityanath government’s plan to develop the mythical city of Ikshvaku
in Ayodhya comes to fruition. Schemes worth Rs 5,000 crore from the central and state government are already taking shape (see box: Ayodhya’s Tourism Focus). Jitendra Kumar, principal secretary in the state department of culture and tourism, says, “The navnirman work in Ayodhya had been stalled for years because the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute was pending in court. Due to this, any work of a permanent nature could not take place. Now, a master plan is being prepared envisioning a new Ikshvaku city in Ayodhya. The department of tourism and culture is making a special contribution to this so that the cultural and mythological side can be highlighted.”
The signs are already visible from NH-28, the Lucknow-Gorakhpur highway. Turning left at the ‘Ayodhya cut’, the 2.5 km-long road that leads to the Sarayu river bank seems transformed. En route, the road passes through the Ramakatha Park, takes in the International Ram Katha Museum, the Korea Park, the Naya Ghat and the Chaudhary Charan Singh Ghat. The final stop is the arched Bhajan Sandhya Sthal. The open air theatre, which can seat 5,000, will host cultural events in Ayodhya in the future. On the other side of the road is what many call Ayodhya’s identity, the ‘Ram ki Paidi’ ghats, looking resplendent again after a project to provide uninterrupted water supply was completed in March this year. It has now become a major tourist attraction.
If all goes to plan, the navnirman of Ayodhya and the Ram temple will be completed simultaneously. Kumar says, “When people enter the new Ikshvaku city, they should feel like they have come to the city of Lord Ram.” One side of this new spiritual city will be the famous Guptar ghats. It is believed that Ram along with his brothers took a jal samadhi at the ghat on the banks of the Sarayu. Pandit Ramesh Pandey, who performs puja at the ghat, says, “The Sarayu in Uttar Pradesh flows from the north to the south, but the position of the Guptar ghat is such that the river is the north duct here. So here it flows from south to north. This is why Guptar ghat is called the mastak (head) of Ayodhya.”
In keeping with its mythical import, over 1,800 acres from Guptar ghat to Ram Janmabhoomi will be developed as Ikshvaku city. According to the master plan, a 5 km-long riverfront will be built alongside in such a way that the Ram temple is visible from the ghats. The new settler city will also become a fount of Vedic knowledge—a Vedic university and a research institute will come up here.
Old Ayodhya is not being neglected either. Plans are afoot to renovate all the major religious sites in the city. Kumar says, “Ayodhya is not just a holy place for Hindus. There are many places of worship for Sikhs, including Gurudwara Brahmakund Saheb, Gurunanak Govind Dham and the Gurudwara Gurusingha Sabha, known as Gurunanakpura across the country. For the followers of Jainism, Ayodhya is the birthplace of five of their 24 Tirthankaras. A comprehensive plan for the development of all these pilgrimage sites is being prepared.”
In expectation of the tourist inflow in the coming years, the government is proposing to build three five-star hotels, three to 10 three-star hotels and 20-30 facilities where some 10,000 people can be accommodated. From 2017 on, the celebration of ‘Deepotsav’—the Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya headed by CM Adityanath—has given the ‘Ram Nagari’ a distinct identity in the country and abroad. Government figures confirm this. Tourist footfalls hit 21 million in 2019. But this year has been a bit of a washout due to the Covid-19 outbreak. A tourism department official in Ayodhya says, “There has been a big drop, we had less than 5 million tourists till the end of July.” The department expects things to improve once the virus bids goodbye.
Among all the development, keeping the Sarayu river clean is a major challenge for the Ayodhya administration. A total of eight drains open into the river now. Efforts are being made to link
“When people enter the new Ikshvaku city, they should feel like they have come to the city of Lord Ram”
—Jitendra Kumar, Principal secretary, Dept of culture and tourism, UP
them directly to the 12 MLD sewage treatment plant at Ram ghat. A new 32 MLD plant is also in its final stage, built at a cost of Rs 363 crore. Piped drinking water is also a huge problem in Ayodhya. In the past two years, some 8,000 houses have been connected by pipelines. Ayodhya mayor Hrishikesh Upadhyay says, “The corporation is working with the goal of providing clean drinking water to every house in Ayodhya in the next two years.”
Ayodhya district was earlier divided into two administrative divisions,
Faizabad and the Ayodhya Nagar Palika Parishad. On May 9, 2017, both these nagar palika parishads were merged to form the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation. Upadhyay says they will need more land in the future to increase basic facilities. Keeping this in mind, the corporation is expanding the borders of the city. “Efforts are on to include 41 revenue villages. With their inclusion, the city will cover an extra 35 sq. km; the city of Ayodhya will be spread over 90 sq. km,” says the mayor. It will also be a smart city with a Rs 14 crore integrated traffic management system being put in place.
The blueprint then, for a new Ayodhya, is in place. Will the new Ram Nagari heal old wounds, keep a place for all its citizens? Not everyone is sure, but as long-time Ayodhya resident and former principal of the Saket College, Dr V.N. Arora, says, “Ayodhya’s residents have seen only demolition and tension in the past 50 years. Now, for the first time, they will witness construction and development here.” And therein lies the hope.