Rama temple · Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir is the temple to Rama in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, built at the site that Hindus revere as Rama's birthplace. Its main sanctum holds Ram Lalla, the child form of Rama, consecrated on 22 January 2024. The temple is built and managed by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust.
Construction followed the Supreme Court of India's judgment of 9 November 2019 in the Ayodhya title dispute. The temple, designed in the Nagara style, is now one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in north India.
Faith & Tradition
In Hindu tradition Ayodhya is the capital of the Ikshvaku kings and the birthplace of Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, whose life is told in the Ramayana. Devotees believe the temple marks the place of his birth, and for many it is the most important Rama shrine.
The ground-floor sanctum holds the image of Ram Lalla. On 5 June 2025 a Ram Darbar, showing Rama with Sita, his brothers and Hanuman, was consecrated in the temple. On 25 November 2025 a saffron flag was raised on the main spire; the Government of India described this ceremony as marking the completion of the temple's construction.
Heritage
The site was the subject of one of independent India's longest legal and political disputes. A mosque, the Babri Masjid, built in the Mughal period under Babur, stood there; many Hindus held that it had been built on Rama's birthplace. The mosque was demolished by activists on 6 December 1992. In 2010 the Allahabad High Court divided the disputed land between the parties, and those appeals reached the Supreme Court.
On 9 November 2019 a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court gave a unanimous judgment. It awarded the disputed 2.77-acre site for the building of a temple under a trust to be set up by the central government, and directed that a separate five-acre plot in Ayodhya be given to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for a mosque.
The Government of India approved the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust on 5 February 2020. The Prime Minister performed the bhoomi pujan and laid the foundation stone on 5 August 2020. The Pran Pratishtha (consecration) of Ram Lalla took place on 22 January 2024, followed by the Ram Darbar consecration in June 2025 and the flag-hoisting (Dhwajarohan) on 25 November 2025.
Following the traditional lunar calendar, the trust observes the consecration anniversary as Pratishtha Dwadashi on Paush Shukla Dwadashi, not on the Gregorian date; the first anniversary was celebrated on 11 January 2025.
According to the Government of India, the temple is built in the traditional Nagara style. It measures 380 feet east to west, 250 feet wide and 161 feet high, with 392 pillars and 44 doors. The main entrance is on the east, up 32 steps through the Singh Dwar, and there are five halls: Nritya, Rang, Sabha, Prarthana and Kirtan mandapas. No iron is used in the temple; it stands on a 14-metre layer of roller-compacted concrete and a 21-foot granite plinth. The design is by Chandrakant Sompura of Ahmedabad.
Within the complex, an old Shiva temple at Kuber Tila in the south-west has been restored, with a statue of Jatayu, and an old well known as Sita Koop is preserved nearby. The trust has said that small temples to Surya, Bhagwati, Ganesha and Shiva stand at the four corners of the enclosure wall (parkota).
Plan Your Visit
Darshan arrangements, entry passes, security screening and rules on items such as phones and bags are set by the trust and can change, especially on festival days. Confirm current arrangements with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust before travelling.
Timings and arrangements change with seasons and festivals. Confirm current details with Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust (official website) before travelling. Last reviewed 5 October 2026.
Sacred Calendar
Rama's birthday is the main festival at the temple held to stand at his birthplace, and draws very large crowds to Ayodhya.
The trust marks the anniversary of Ram Lalla's 2024 consecration on its lunar date; the first anniversary was celebrated from 11 to 13 January 2025.
Location
Maharishi Valmiki International Airport serves Ayodhya. According to the Ayodhya district administration it is about 10 km from Ayodhya Dham; the airports at Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Varanasi are alternatives.
Ayodhya Dham and Ayodhya Cantt are the district's main railway stations. The district administration lists Ayodhya as about 130 km by road from Lucknow and about 636 km from Delhi, with Uttar Pradesh state road transport buses running round the clock.
Location: Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India
Nearest airport: Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhya
Nearest railway station: Ayodhya Dham Junction (also Ayodhya Cantt)
More in Hindu temples in Uttar Pradesh · Rama temples
Questions
The Pran Pratishtha (consecration) of Ram Lalla took place on 22 January 2024. A Ram Darbar was consecrated on 5 June 2025, and the flag-hoisting that the Government of India said marked the temple's completion took place on 25 November 2025.
On 9 November 2019 a five-judge bench unanimously awarded the disputed 2.77-acre site for a temple to be built by a government-constituted trust. It also directed that a separate five-acre plot in Ayodhya be given to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for a mosque.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, approved by the Government of India on 5 February 2020, is responsible for building and managing the temple.
It is built in the Nagara style. Government figures give it as 380 feet long, 250 feet wide and 161 feet high, with 392 pillars and 44 doors.
No. The temple is in Ayodhya city, Ayodhya district, Uttar Pradesh. 'Sai Nagar' appears in some map data but is not the usual name for its location.
Maharishi Valmiki International Airport is about 10 km from Ayodhya Dham, according to the district administration. Ayodhya Dham and Ayodhya Cantt are the main railway stations, and buses run from Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Delhi.
The Government of India credits the design to Chandrakant Sompura of Ahmedabad. Larsen & Toubro built it, with Tata Consulting Engineers as advisory consultants.
Further reading: Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Pilgrim Circuit
