With the arrival of the New Year, almost all the hotels of the district headquarters have been booked for the devotees and tourists coming to Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Shri Ramlala. Meanwhile, the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has extended the darshan timings of the Ram temple and put in place elaborate arrangements to manage the expected crowd. The consecration of Ram Lalla took place at the temple on January 22 this year under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Was.
Almost all the hotel rooms in Ayodhya district headquarters have been booked. Ankit Mishra, owner of a local hotel in Ayodhya, said, “We are eager to welcome devotees in this new year. All our rooms are already booked till January 15.” When checked on Saturday morning, an online booking platform showed that some hotels and lodges still had rooms available, although some hotels were charging more than Rs 10,000 a room per night due to surge in demand.
Ayodhya has seen a surge in religious tourism since the consecration ceremony earlier this year, while the Hindu New Year in Chaitra (March–April) holds traditional significance. Local priest Ramakant Tiwari said, “A large number of devotees visit religious places and offer prayers on January 1, so that they can get the blessings of Ram Lalla at the beginning of the year.”
Regarding crowd management and ensuring security, Ayodhya Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajkaran Nayyar said, “Strong security arrangements will be made at Ram Mandir, Hanumangarhi, Lata Chowk, Guptar Ghat, Surajkund and other popular places.” The temple trust has also made extensive preparations to handle the increasing crowd, especially between December 30 and the first two weeks of January. “Darshan timings have been extended and special arrangements have been made to ensure a seamless experience for all devotees,” a person from the trust said.
The consecration ceremony at the Ram temple was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hundreds of dignitaries from all walks of life, leading to a boost in tourism in Ayodhya and the state. According to the state tourism department, 32.18 crore tourists came to Uttar Pradesh in 2022, while the number of tourists in the first six months of 2024 was 32.98 crore. The state government had said in a statement last week that the significant increase in tourism has been due to the significant contribution of Ayodhya and Kashi (Varanasi). “After the inauguration of the grand Ram temple in January last year, Uttar Pradesh witnessed nearly 11 crore tourist arrivals within six months,” the government said. In January alone, a record-breaking seven crore tourists visited, the highest in any single month. Highest number of visitors to any place.”
