From a sleepy town with muddy roads, narrow lanes, dilapidated buildings and shady markets to a glittering, shining city having modern infrastructure — Ayodhya, known as the birthplace of Lord Ram has seen a complete turnaround.
In Ayodhya, over 100 hospitality majors from India and abroad have evinced interest in opening their hotels while a dozen have already completed their projects. According to the officials of Ayodhya district, so far 26 big hotel projects have been approved here while many states are supposed to open their guest houses. Recently the housing board has given land to 32 big hoteliers for opening up their establishments in Ayodhya.
The state government has offered land to the various states also for opening their own guest houses. The officials informed that many states including Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra have agreed to open guest houses in Ayodhya. The governments of more than 15 states of India and three other countries — Sri Lanka, Nepal and South Korea — have requested for land in Ayodhya to construct their own guest houses.
The UP government has planned to offer 80 plots for guest houses to the states, various countries and religious institutions in the new township extension called Navya Ayodhya.In the proposed township of Navya Ayodhya, each state or country would be given five acres of land for the guest house. Besides the prominent Mutts, Temple Trusts and Ashrams would also be given land in Ayodhya to construct their own guest houses. The famous Tirupati Balaji Mandir Trust has already requested the UP Government for the land in Ayodhya.
World class infrastructure
Ever since the construction of the Ram temple began in Ayodhya there has been tremendous development in the infrastructure of the city. The Valmiki International Airport was inaugurated last month by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with flights to Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad. The new-look railway station and bus station were inaugurated last month making Ayodhya easy to reach for tourists from across the country. The city has been connected with four-lane highways from every direction. To make commuting easy, comfortable and pollution-free, government has deployed hundreds of electric buses and autos in Ayodhya. Forty megawatt solar plant is soon coming up.
Accelerated economy
With the construction of the Ram temple the economy of Ayodhya has taken a giant leap. While the city received investment proposals worth Rs 49,000 crores in the Global Investors Summit held in UP last year, it has registered a multi-fold rise in the export of goods as well. According to the latest figures released by the Union Commerce & Industry Ministry, exports from Ayodhya have registered a growth of more than 100 per cent. In the year 2021-22, it was Rs 110 crore and has risen to Rs 254 crore in 2022-23. At present Ayodhya is exporting coal, papers, Ayurveda medicines, and rice and bakery machinery to other states. Investment proposals for Ayodhya include a software development center and a logistic hub which will create a good number of jobs.
Job opportunities
While the economic turnaround of Ayodhya is likely to fetch more jobs, the city has started attracting people from nearby areas who have been coming here for livelihood. According to the Industrial Development Department of UP, the investment proposals received for Ayodhya will generate employment for two lakh people; the hospitality industry itself has already created one lakh employment opportunities. According to Ayodhya officials, the travel industry has created employment for more than 20,000 people and this number will go up in coming days. The number of vendors, guides, drivers, caretakers, boatmen and other gig workers is expected to swell in the coming days.
Multi-fold rise in tourist flow
While in the year 2017 over two lakh tourists visited Ayodhya, the number has gone to 2.03 crore in 2022. In the first nine months of last year, the number of people coming to Ayodhya had crossed the two crore mark. Till last year 6.3 per cent of tourists coming to UP were visiting Ayodhya and now this number is likely to go up 15 per cent, said an official from the tourism department. To mark the New Year, around seven lakh people thronged Ayodhya this time. According to the officials of the UP government, the state is expecting a flow of over one lakh people every day after the consecration of the temple is over. They said that in the initial months, the daily flow could be over two to three lakh.
Weaving history
Ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, Ram Lalla has received handloom dresses from Pune. These dresses were woven as part of the special campaign ‘Do Dhage Sri Ram Ke Liye’, organised by the Heritage Handweaving Revival Charitable Trust. Over 12 lakh people participated in this unique campaign. Anagha Ghaisas, the director of the trust, shared, “This campaign was a unique experience as people patiently waited in queues for hours to weave dresses for Ram Lalla.” Spanning over 13 days, the campaign resulted in the creation of dhotis, angrakhas, and uttariyes (a type of dupatta to be worn with a dhoti) in eight colours, including purple, green, and yellow. The campaign was inaugurated by Union Minister Smriti Irani on December 10. The woven dresses were officially handed over to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on January 16. — Pune Correspondent
