Ayodhya

The word "Ayodhya" is a regularly formed derivation of the Sanskrit verb yudh, "to fight, or wage war". Yodhya is the future passive participle, meaning "to be fought"; the initial a is the negative prefix; the whole, therefore, means "not to be fought" or, more idiomatically in English, "invincible". This meaning is attested by the Atharvaveda, which uses it to refer to the unconquerable city of gods. The ninth century Jain poem Adi Purana also states that Ayodhya "does not exist by name alone but by the merit" of being unconquerable by enemies. Satyopakhyana interprets the word differently, stating that it means "that which cannot be conquered by sins" (instead of enemies). "Saketa" is the older name for the city, attested in Sanskrit, Jain, Buddhist, Greek and Chinese sources. According to Vaman Shivram Apte, the word "Saketa" is derived from the Sanskrit words Saha (with) and Aketen (houses or buildings). The Adi Purana states that Ayodhya is called Saketa "because of its magnificent buildings which had significant banners as their arms". According to Hans T. Bakker, the word may be derived from the roots sa and ketu ("with banner"); the variant name saketu is attested in the Vishnu Purana. Ayodhya was stated to be the capital of the ancient Kosala kingdom in the Ramayana. Hence it was also referred to as "Kosala". The Adi Purana states that Ayodhya is famous as su-kośala "because of its prosperity and good skill". The cities of Ayutthaya (Thailand), and Yogyakarta (Indonesia), are named after Ayodhya.

Ancient Indian Sanskrit-language epics, such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata mention a legendary city called Ayodhya, which was the capital of the legendary Ikshvaku kings of Kosala, including Rama.

Rama is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man, Rama is the male protagonist of the Hindu epic Ramayana. His birth is celebrated every year on Rama Navami, which falls on the ninth day of the bright half of the lunar cycle of Chaitra (March–April), the first month in the Hindu calendar.

Read more about [Rama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rama).

Ayodhya is connected by road to several major cities and towns, including Lucknow (130 km (81 mi)), Gorakhpur (140 km (87 mi)), Prayagraj (160 km (99 mi)), Varanasi (200 km (120 mi)) and Delhi (636 km (395 mi)). A direct bus service has been started between Ayodhya and Janakpur (birthplace of Sita), in Nepal as a part of Ramayana circuit.

The city is on the broad gauge Northern Railway line on Pandit Din Dayal Upadhyay Junction and Lucknow main route with Ayodhya Junction and Faizabad Junction (Ayodhya Cantt) railway stations. Ramayana Circuit Train : Special Train that runs from Delhi to main sites of the Ramayana Circuit

The nearest airports are Ayodhya Airport, 5 km (3.1 mi) away, Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow, 134 km (83 mi) away, and Prayagraj Airport, 166 km (103 mi) away.

Located in: Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.