Delhi: Ayodhya 2-Day Private Tour with Guide & Meals

The most visited new temple in India

Ayodhya is held by Hindus to be the birthplace of Rama, and the Ram Mandir — consecrated in January 2024 on the most contested site in modern Indian history — is now among the most visited places in the country.

Whatever you make of the politics, the scale of what is happening there is remarkable: a temple town of a few hundred thousand people receiving pilgrims in the tens of millions a year, with an entirely new road and rail infrastructure built around it.

The drive

About 690 km from Delhi, so this is a genuine two-day trip. Private chauffeured car both ways.

Ram Mandir

Built in the Nagara style in Bansi Paharpur pink sandstone, on a plinth with three storeys and 392 pillars, with the sanctum aligned so that sunlight falls on the deity at noon on Ram Navami.

Security is extremely strict: no phones, no bags, no electronics, no cameras. Expect long queues and leave everything in the car. This is not negotiable and there is no fast track.

Hanuman Garhi

Up seventy-six steps, and busier than anywhere else in town — tradition holds you should visit Hanuman before Rama, and most pilgrims do.

The Sarayu ghats

The river runs along the town's northern edge, and the evening aarti on the ghats is smaller and gentler than Varanasi's, with a fraction of the crowd. It is the quietest good hour in Ayodhya.

Kanak Bhavan and Nageshwarnath are the older temples worth the walk.

Practical

Private car, driver, guide and meals included, with one night.

Shoes off, modest dress, shoulders and knees covered. The town is strictly vegetarian and alcohol-free.

Avoid Ram Navami (March–April) and Diwali unless crowds of that order appeal — Ayodhya's Deepotsav sets Guinness records for oil lamps and the town becomes impassable.