History

The name Ayodhya comes from the Sanskrit word “yudh”, meaning "fight" or "wage war," and it translates to either "not to be fought" or, less literally, "unconquerable." During the time of Gautama Buddha the city was called Ayojjhā in Pali and Ayodhya in Sanskrit.

In the first few centuries of the Common Era it was called Saketa and was conquered by the Kushan / Yuezhi Emperor Kanishka in 127 CE, who made it the administrative centre of his eastern territories. The name occurs again in Faxian in the early 5th century. It is not clear when the name changed, but by the time of the visit of the Chinese pilgrim monk, Huan Tsang, in 636 CE, it was known as Ayodhya.

Buddhist temples, monuments and centers of learning having been established here during the age of the Mauryan Empire and the Gupta Dynasty. Ayodhya reached its glorious peak as known to history during the reign of the Guptas over India. This city was also a significant trade centre in 600 BC. Historians have identified this place as Saketa, a key Buddhist centre during the 5th century BC. It is a widely held belief that Buddha visited Ayodhya on several occasions.

Ayodhya has a historical significance for the Jain community too. This is the birth place of two important Jain Tirthankaras who were born in the early centuries CE. Jain texts also stand testimony to the visit of Mahavir, Jainism's last Tirthankar to this city. Ayodhya is also the birthplace of five Tirthankars, including the first Tirthankar of Jainism, Shri Rishabh Dev. He is known as the father of the Jain religion.

Bhagwan Swaminarayan, founder of the Swaminarayan Sect of Hinduism lived here during his childhood years. It was from Ayodhya that Bhagwan Swaminarayan started his seven year journey across India as a 'Neelkanth'.

Under Mughal rule, it was the seat of the governor of Awadh, and later during the British Raj the city was known as Ajodhya or Ajodhia and was part of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. With Muslim rulers established around the city under Mohammed of Ghor, it lost its strategic and economic importance to Lucknow and Kanpur.

Saadat Ali Khan, Nawab of Awadh, bestowed the Riyasat of Ayodhya on his loyal Brahmin soldier Dwijdeo Mishra of the Kasyapa gotra, for quelling revenue rebels in Mehendauna in Eastern UP. The Hanumangarhi temple at Ayodhya was built by the Nawab of Awadh.

Ayodhya was annexed in 1856 by the British rulers. Between 1857 and 1859, this place was one of the main centers where the sparks of the first war of Indian Independence originated. These sparks later led to a nationwide revolt of the Indian soldiers in opposition to the British East India Company that began in Calcutta.