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Photo: India Post, Government of India, GODL-India via Wikimedia Commons
The legendary Korean queen Heo Hwang-ok, also known as Suriratna, is believed according to the Samguk yusa to have been an Indian princess from Ayuta, nowadays identified with Ayodhya. A memorial to honour was set up in 2001 which was expanded and beautified in 2018.
A memorial of the Korean Queen Heo Hwang-ok is located in Ram Katha Park, near the ghats, on Sarayu River, in the holy Hindu city of Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh. The stone memorial, with an inscription of the legend of Queen Heo, sits inside a park. Planned upgrades featuring Korean and Indian architectural elements and landscaping, including a traditional pavilion, are expected to be completed in 2 years by the end of 2020 at the cost of INR 30 million.
The colossal temple in Ayodhya, built on the supposed birthplace of Rama. Although visited by pilgrims throughout the year, this sacred place attracts devotees from all over India and abroad on Ram Navami, the day of Lord's birth, which is celebrated with great pomp and show, in the Hindu month of Chaitra (March-April).
A former Buddhist vihara (cave with cells) that became a Hindu temple. It is dotted with little shrines and if you stand on the topmost terrace you get a splendid view of Ayodhya, one that includes a cluster of small white buildings at the base of the hill that turns out to be a Muslim graveyard.
A series of ghats on the bank of the Sarayu River. It is known for the Ayodhya Deepotsav during Diwali.
Visitors to Ayodhya must make a move towards Hanuman Garhi. It is a massive structure in the shape of a four-sided fort with circular bastions at each corner. The temple is highly revered for its imposing architecture and its religious value.
Palace of Gold
The Bhawan is frequented by scores of visitors every year. The temple is widely known for the images of Sri Rama and Sita wearing gold crowns and because of this the Bhawan is also referred to as Sone-ka-Ghar.
It is said to be built by Kush, Lord Rama's son. Legend has it that he almost destroyed the water-living Nagas (semi-divine snake people) because he suspected them of stealing his amulet. Only Lord Shiva's intervention saved the semi-divine snakes. Khush then established this temple showing the Nagas worshipping Lord Shiva, his father's favourite deity. Another version of this legend states that the lost amulet was found by a Nag-kanya (young girl from the Naga tribe), who fell in love with him, and as she was Lord Shiva's devotee he constructed this temple for her.