An Airport, 2 Vande Bharat Trains and Better Roads: How Ram's 'Arrival' Has Paved a Smoother Way Into Ayodhya

Ayodhya, which suffered from poor connectivity and lack of development for decades, has in the last few years, particularly the last six months, seen rapid makeovers and facelifts with a functional airport, two semi-high speed trains and multi-lane roads.

It was in November 2019 that the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Ram Temple at the dispute site in Ayodhya, ending decades of deadlock. Since then, there has been no looking back for this temple town.

Last month, the city got its first airport, built in a record time of 20 months. So far, the airport in Lucknow, more than 150km away, was the nearest one to Ayodhya. The Gorakhpur airport, inaugurated in 2018, is also at an equal distance. Inaugurated on December 30, the Ayodhya airport is international. However, it is yet to start flight operations in full swing.

While the airport will ease the journey for devotees and tourists opting to fly in from other states, the government has also connected the railway station in Ayodhya with two Vande Bharat trains in the last six years.

Lacking decent railway connectivity until last year, the town now has direct, fast and dedicated trains from Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow and Gorakhpur. In July 2023, the first big train for Ayodhya was inaugurated, connecting Lucknow on one side and Gorakhpur on the other. On December 30, a dedicated Vande Bharat train connecting Ayodhya to Anand Vihar in Delhi was also flagged off.

Now, Ayodhya is just a two-hour train journey away from Lucknow and Gorakhpur, three-and-a-half hours away from Kanpur and eight hours from Delhi.

So far, Ayodhya had a single-lane road that used to make the town look small and congested. However, in the last few months, new roads have been proposed for multi-lane connectivity.

In November, the state government announced a four-lane Lakshman Path for the town. Four to six lane bypasses around the town are also planned along with a four-lane road from Prayagraj.

The inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be held on January 22 when the installation of the Ram Lalla idol in the Ram Temple’s sanctum-sanctorum, known as ‘Pran Pratishtha’, will be done. Celebrations in the town will, however, from January 16.