Ayodhya

Ayodhya is planned around two numbers: the darshan slot you want at Ram Mandir, and how far you’re willing to walk for a room. Every figure here — timings, passes, stays, crowds, reach — carries a source and a last-checked date. Where a number could not be confirmed, we say so.

Ram Mandir darshan and aarti: the essentials

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust runs free darshan in seven slots a day, and aarti passes are free too — booked only through the trust’s own portal. Details change around festivals, and the trust updates its site before it updates anyone else.

Source: srjbtkshetra.org, last checked 01 October 2026. The trust’s notification of 18 April 2026 revised booking-receipt timings; re-check the trust site before travelling.

Full detail lives on our Ram Mandir darshan guide and the aarti timings table.

What to book, and what you cannot

Two things pilgrims most often get wrong in Ayodhya:

1. Paying an agent for a darshan or aarti pass. The trust states plainly that it does not authorise any agents and charges no fee. If someone offers a “paid fast darshan”, that is not the trust’s system. The only official paid option is a state-tourism (UPSTDC) package, which is a separate product — and distinctly not the free trust pass.
2. Assuming walk-in is enough on peak days. On ordinary weekdays a moving queue keeps things manageable, but festival days (Deepotsav, Ram Navami, New Year’s Day) reshape the whole city’s logistics. Book the aarti pass online, carry the ID you booked with, and confirm attendance when the portal asks.

The aarti pass booking walkthrough covers the portal step by step.

Where pilgrims stay

Rooms cluster in four areas: the temple core (small guesthouses facing the Ram Janmabhoomi gate), Naya Ghat on the Saryu riverside, the station area (dharamshalas), and the Tedhi Bazar strip. Walking distance to the temple gate is the single biggest price and comfort driver — our stay guide ranks properties by it, with distances labelled where they could not be verified.

Typical nightly prices as displayed on booking platforms (01 October 2026): dharamshala ₹500–2,000, temple-front guesthouses ₹2,400–4,700, mid-range chains ₹5,600+.

When to come — and when not to

• Quietest planning window: weekdays outside festival months; early-morning slots. (Reported pattern — unconfirmed by official data.)
• Heaviest days: Deepotsav week (2026 main day: 7 November), Ram Navami (15 April 2027), New Year’s Day, Makar Sankranti.
• Weather: May–June regularly cross 42 °C; January is the coolest month; the monsoon runs July–September.

The month-by-month crowd calendar has the full table.

Getting there

Ayodhya Dham Junction (station code AY) is the rail anchor — roughly 8 hours by Vande Bharat from Delhi, under 3 from Varanasi. Maharishi Valmiki International Airport (AYJ) has direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, though frequencies change seasonally. Road access runs off the Purvanchal Expressway from Lucknow. The how-to-reach guide lists verified trains and the distances we could not confirm.

Planning a longer yatra

Most pilgrims pair Ayodhya with Varanasi and Prayagraj in one triangle circuit — 4–5 days covers it comfortably. Our circuit plan lays out the leg times, and the budget calculator turns your group size and dates into a realistic cost range.

Frequently asked questions