We were on the last leg of our trip. Ayodhya.

For many years this little town on the banks of the river Sarayu was called Faizabad. Indeed, old timers still call it by that name. This sleepy town is known for being the birthplace of Lord Ram, and the famous temple of Hanuman Garhi. As a matter of fact, the local populace gives more importance to Hanuman and it is said that visiting the Hanuman Mandir is mandatory before visiting the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.

Foggy welcome

We arrived at Ayodhya at 6 am after a 19 hour journey from Prayagraj. Despite an early start, the road was packed with traffic going both ways, three cars deep!

Our driver who had been on duty for four days was quite exhausted and being stuck in a jam put him in a foul mood. As the night progressed, he kept nodding off when forced to stop and then rushing forward whenever he got a chance.

Luckily we had our stack of theplas and khakhras to see us through. We managed one toilet stop and a tea stop but closer to midnight, I actually relieved myself behind a petrol station as the queue for the single loo was 10 women long !

The traffic mysteriously eased from time to time but there was a time when our average speed was 1 km/ hr !

Closer to Ayodhya, the GPS directed us to the back roads as the main roads to the town were closed. Once again it was cross country driving through rough tracks engulfed in fog. Slowly as day broke, we could make out fields and small lanes leading us towards the town. Finally, we came to the inevitable roadblock.

Knights to the rescue

While we were discussing our further travel plans at the Kumbh, one of the devotees gave us the number of a tourist guide of repute: Ravi Kumar.

So when we came across hiccup No.4 we rang up both Monu, the owner of Hotel Madhur Kunj Palace and Ravi to ask what to do next .

Monu was cross at being woken up but immediately arranged to send us two men to take us to the hotel . Once again it was through back alleys. The hotel was far from a palace and looked quite different from the pictures on Make My Trip. But in the end all we wanted was a comfortable bed for the night. Besides it was conveniently located – a hop, skip and a jump away from the main road .

Temple Visits

After a little rest, we decided to meet Ravi on the main road.

Ravi took us to the Bharat Ramji restaurant for a quick breakfast of chole bhature, dosa and kachori chaat. Over breakfast we discussed our plan.

Since all VIP Darshans were closed Ravi assured us that he would somehow get us into the temple. And he did !

But after walking for almost the whole day we finally managed to get to the top of the general queue. And what energy there was! The crowd was charged with euphoria and chants of Jai Shree Ram resonated all around. Though it was crowded the lines moved forward once again after just a brief glimpse of the black idol of Lord Ram,

The RamJanmabhoomi Mandir is still incomplete but it is still beautifully made . Marble exquisitely carved with stories of the Ramayan, it is a true amalgamation of the present and the past .,

On the way to the Rammandir we passed the Court of Dashrath. We also visited a Gurudwara which was established by the son of the 10th Guru Gobind Singh.

By evening we were quite tired and just rested for a bit along the barricades . A policeman with his band of merry men approached us and asked if we needed any help .
He then instructed his man to take down our number and check in on us.
And the police called 5 times to make sure we were ok.

Truly during our entire trip, someone upstairs was watching out for us .

Ayodhya was a fascinating city with lots of tiny temples and shops selling bangles and trinkets and Pooja stuff.

Our evening was spent on the banks of the River Sarayu watching the evening arti .

We had planned on visiting Hanuman Garhi after dinner but after the miles we had to walk we were knackered.

So was Hanuman annoyed with us that we didn’t visit his temple first ?

The last hurdle

Once again we were advised to leave early because of the traffic restrictions. Ola and Uber were NOT allowed anywhere near our hotel. Ravi and Monu spent over an hour trying to get a reliable ride to the airport.

The next morning we set off again on foot towards the station. But traffic was prohibited there too so we crossed the tracks and met our car almost a kilometre away from the highway. We had walked around 6000 steps already!

From there on it was a breeze. Our flight home on Akasa was comfortable and we returned home happy that our journey to the Kumbh was successful.

Why now?

People asked us what made us go to the Kumbh at this crunch time when our visit coincided with Republic Day, the visit of Amit Shah and the Shahi Snan.

Quite frankly, this was meant to be. Compared to the hardships and challenges pilgrims normally face, ours was a breeze.

But I will go back one day in calmer times and visit all the temples I couldn’t get to see.

Ciao