Place

Ayodhya

अयोध्याAyodhyā

verses
1,077
books
20
chapters
378
Home of
Rama

What the texts say

In the Ramayana, Ayodhya is the city built by Manu, lord of humankind. Ramayana 1.5.6 There King Dasharatha of the Ikshvaku line ruled, beloved by town and countryside. Ramayana 1.6.1 In the Sri Ramcharitmanas, Kaikeyi asks King Dasharatha to send Rama to the forest for fourteen years, and the king is struck with grief. Ramcharitmanas 2.3.60 Bharata, Rama's brother, vows in the Ramayana to rule through Rama's sandals, awaiting his return. Ramayana 2.112.23 Later the epic tells of Rama's return and coronation in Ayodhya. Ramayana 1.3.37, 6.130.54 The Skanda Purana lists Ayodhya among places that bestow worldly enjoyment and liberation. Skanda Purana 2.3.1.22

Where to read

Every verse that names Ayodhya, book by book.

  1. Ramayana

    407 verses · 113 chapters

    All 407 verses in the Ramayana
    • 2.51.21

      This verse-number entry again preserves the same extended depiction of Ayodhyā’s thriving civic life (covering 2.51.21–23 in one block): an auspicious, well-planned capital where people wander happily amid prosperity, music, and festivals.

    • 1.3.14

      He described the grief of Ayodhyā’s people, Rāma’s parting from them, his conversation with Guha, the Niṣāda chief, and Sumantra the charioteer returning.

    • 1.1.86

      Having obtained a boon from the gods and having revived the vānaras, Rāma set out for Ayodhyā, accompanied by friends, in the Puṣpaka chariot.

  2. Skanda Purana

    268 verses · 66 chapters

    All 268 verses in the Skanda Purana
    • 2.8.1.16

      Now we wish to hear the eternal teaching with its inner meaning—the radiant glory, rich in virtues, of the great city of Ayodhyā.

    • 2.8.8.80

      O Brāhmaṇa, tell us swiftly and in full that supreme greatness of Ayodhyā which people proclaim, for we have heard it is an excellent māhātmya.

    • 2.8.10.5

      The heroic protector of Ayodhyā bestows success in all desired aims and purposes. On the fifth day of Navarātri, the pilgrimage becomes an annual observance.

  3. Ramcharitmanas

    132 verses · 57 chapters

    All 132 verses in the Ramcharitmanas
    • 2.8.145

      Knowing this in your heart, brother, listen to my counsel: stay and serve the feet of your mother and father. Bharata and Shatrughna are not at home, and the king is old, with sorrow for me in his heart. If I go to the forest and take you…

    • 1.2.33

      I bow to the city of Ayodhya, exceedingly holy, and to the river Sarayu, which destroys the stains of the Kali age. Then I pay homage to the men and women of the city, for whom the Lord had no small affection. The slanderers of Sita he…

    • 1.3.51

      Rama gave refuge to both Sugriva and Vibhishana, as everyone knows. His Name has favored countless poor and helpless souls; its excellent fame shines forth in the world and in the Vedas. Rama gathered an army of bears and monkeys, and the…

  4. Padma Purana

    74 verses · 43 chapters

    All 74 verses in the Padma Purana
    • 6.242.40

      There is a city named Ayodhyā, situated on the bank of the Sarayū; it is abundantly filled with every kind of jewel, and it teems with wealth and grain.

    • 5.36.73

      But on the fourth day of Vaiśākha, Rāma, having mounted the Puṣpaka (aerial chariot), returned through the sky once more toward the city of Ayodhyā.

    • 5.37.10

      He who constantly meditates within his heart on the Lord, the sovereign of Ayodhyā—he will surely become visible to my eyes, delightful to behold.

Also named in

Key chapters

The chapters where Ayodhya matters most.

  1. Commencement of the Inquiry into Ayodhyā’s Sacred Greatness

    Skanda Purana 2.8.1 · 41 verses

  2. Ratikunda, Kusumāyudha-kunda, Mantreśvara and allied tīrthas: rites and merits

    Skanda Purana 2.8.8 · 36 verses

  3. Ayodhyā-yātrākrama, Sarayū-māhātmya, and Mānasatīrtha Teaching (अयोध्यायात्राक्रमः सरयू-माहात्म्यं च मानसतीर्थोपदेशः)

    Skanda Purana 2.8.10 · 32 verses

  4. Svargadvāra Māhātmya and the Origin of Candra-hari

    Skanda Purana 2.8.3 · 10 verses

  5. Dharmāhari Hymn, Expiatory Guidelines, and the Gold-Rain Origin Legend

    Skanda Purana 2.8.4 · 8 verses

  6. The Glory of Dvārakā and Comparative Tīrtha-Merit

    Skanda Purana 7.4.25 · 8 verses

  7. Rāma Narrative Commencement and the Sanctity of Ayodhyā (Umā-Maheśvara Frame)

    Padma Purana 6.242 · 6 verses

  8. Narration of Rāma’s Deeds (with calendrical chronology of key events)

    Padma Purana 5.36 · 5 verses

  9. Narration of the Primeval-Aeon Ramayana

    Padma Purana 5.116 · 4 verses

  10. The Sage Kamu’s (Kamo’s) Journey to Viṣṇu’s World

    Padma Purana 5.37 · 4 verses

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q55604583