Ayodhya
On the right bank of the river Ghaghra or Saryu, as it is called
within sacred precincts, stands the holy city of Ayodhya, believed
to be the birth place of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation
of Lord Vishnu.
The ancient city of Ayodhya, according to the Ramayana, was
founded by Manu, the law-giver of the Hindus. For centuries
it was the capital of the decendants of the Surya Vansh of which
Lord Rama was the most celebrated king. Ayodhya during ancient
times was known as Kosaldesha. The Atharvaveda describes it
as "a city built by gods and being as prosperous as paradise
itself". The illustrious ruling dynasty of this region
were the lkshvakus of the Surya Vash. Accoridng to tradition
lkshvaku was the eldest son of Vaivasvata Manu, who established
himself at Ayodhya.
The earth is said to have derived its name 'Prithvi' from Prithu,
the 6th king of the line. A few generations later came Masndhatri,
in whose line the 31st king was Harishchandra, known idely for
him live for truith. Raja Sagar of the same clan performed the
ashvamedha yajna and his great grandson bhagirath is reputed
to have brought ganga on earth by virtue of his penances. later
in the time came the great raghu after whome the family came
to be called as raghu vansh . His grandson was Raja Dasharatha
the illustrious father of lord rama with whome the glory of
the dynasty reached its zenith.
According to pauranic belief in the 93rd generation from Ikshvaku
the 30th from lord rama was vrihadbala the last famous king
of the ikshvaku dynasty of ayodhya who was killed during the
Mahabharata war. The kingdom of kosala again rose to prominence
in the time of the Buddha, i.e. 6th century B.C.
Ayodhya is pri-eminently a city of temples. At Ayodhya several
religions have grown and prospered simultaneously and also at
different periods of time in the past. Remnants of Hinduism,
Budhism , Jainism, Sikhism can still be found in Ayodhya.
According to Jain tradition, Ayodhya was the seat of five Tirthankaras,
including the first Tirthankar Adinath (Rishabhadeva).
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