Ayodhya: The Race is On for the Consecration of a Rejuvenated City

Ayodhya has long stagnated as an undeveloped city, despite the significance of its glory days in the past. The reimagined Ayodhya is all set to brush away the old cobwebs and reveal a 21st-century temple town pulsating with renewed energy and hope. The new phase of development and consequent rejuvenation of the holy city as a major spiritual hub and global tourist destination is being welcomed enthusiastically by the citizenry.

As ascertained by Vishal Singh, Vice Chairman of the Ayodhya Development Authority: “The Chief Minister wants to make Ram appealing to everyone. He wanted us to create a city that displays the ethos, deeds, and learnings of Lord Ram in such a manner that the younger generation can connect with it.”  

The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) is working at breakneck speed to have everything ready for the Pran Pratishtha or consecration ceremony, of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple and the installation of Ram Lalla on the 22^nd of January 2024.

The devil is in the details as all the relevant agencies such as the Public Works Department, Government Construction Corporation, Development Authority, and Ayodhya Municipal Corporation the challenge of seamlessly coordinating all the activities required to make it a memorable success. The kick-off with the month-long cultural and spiritual extravaganza, Ramotsav 24 has served as a great dress rehearsal for the big-ticket event in January. Any glitches that emerge will be dealt with swiftly to ensure everything goes smoothly on the day of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony. Orchestrated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minster Yogi Adinath, the arrangements for the spectacle have been fine-tuned to a high degree.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while launching Ramaotsav 24 on 30 December will also inaugurate significant projects, including an international airport and a railway station. Furthermore, his gift projects of over Rs 1000 crore will propel this new phase of development of the holy city as a modern city which will pull in tourists from all over the world.

Phase 1 of the newly constructed state-of-the-art airport in Ayodhya is being developed at a cost of more than Rs 1450 crore. The airport, now to be renamed Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham will be inaugurated by PM Modi on 30 December 2023, ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in January. The airport has been renamed to honour the well-known sage who penned the epic Ramayana. IndiGo and Air India Express will operate their first flight from the newly constructed airport on 30 December 2023. Flights of both carriers will operate to Ayodhya from Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. The regular service of these flights will begin from next month going forward. Spread over 6,500 square meters, the new terminal building has been designed to accommodate 600 passengers during peak hours; annual footfall is estimated to go up to about 10 lakh passengers.

The remodelled Ayodhya railway station, to be now known as Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station, is conceived as an efficient modern-day railhead with a slew of new-age amenities.  Designed to look like a temple it is among several projects of the Centre underway in Ayodhya.  Prime Minister Modi will launch two new superfast trains called Amrit Bharat Express and six Vande Bharat trains while laying the foundation stones for development projects around the holy city worth ₹11,100 crore the 3-tiered railway station was envisioned to feature everything from food plazas and decent waiting halls to lifts and child care rooms. Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station will be an eco-friendly, IGBC-certified green station building and has been developed to handle 1 lakh passengers daily.

As part of ₹11,100 crore funding initiative by the Prime Minister, multiple development projects are in the offing including the conservation and beautification of Ayodhya’s four historical entrance gates, new concrete ghats between Guptar Ghat and Rajghat, the development and beautification of tourist facilities from Naya Ghat to Laxman Ghat, and the construction of a visitor’s gallery for Deepotsav and other fairs at Ram Ki Paidi, among others.

The Prime Minister will also lay the cornerstone of the greenfield township in Ayodhya, being developed at a cost of more than ₹2,180 crore, along with the Vashishtha Kunj residential scheme, to be developed at a cost of about ₹300 crore. Additionally, he will pave the way for the NH-27’s Lucknow-Ayodhya section, including the strengthening and modification of the existing Ayodhya bypass, and construction work for the Municipal Corporation Ayodhya and the Ayodhya Development Authority office.  In Ayodhya, the four arterial roads to the Shri Ram Mandir— Rampath, Bhaktipath, Dharampeth, and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Path, which have recently been redeveloped, widened and beautified will also be inaugurated by the Prime Minster.

“Ayodhya has been envisioned as a 21st-century world-class city that has all the facilities of modernity but draws from the traditional principles of what Ayodhya has always been known for,” as revealed by architect Dikshu Kukreja