Holy-Heritage City Development and Planning in India: A Study of Ayodhya

Religious heritage as religious properties and sacred places can be an integral part of larger ensembles, such as historic cities, cultural landscapes and natural sites. Religion had played a role for controlling power in Indian monarchy in the ancient past, and in contemporary India too it played a role in the formation of religious nationalism and corporate identity of religious heritage, through commonly using processions, pilgrimage, religious assemblies, religious fairs (mela), and visit to sacred places. Situated on the right bank of Ghaghara River (Sarayu), Ayodhya is primarily an ancient tirtha (riverfront sacred-scapes) and salvific city that has settlement continuity since at least ca 800BCE. Ayodhya is the sacred place not only for Hindus, but also for other religions of India, like Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhs and Islam (Muslims). In Hindu mythologies, it is described as the birthplace of Lord Rama, a major deity of Vaishnavite group. Ayodhya records many rituals, festivities, pilgrimages journeys and important ancient temples, river ghats (stairways and bathing places), holy tanks, holy wells and holy ponds and their aesthetic qualities and heritage values; those are the representative grandeur of art and tangible and intangible heritage values of the city. Presently around 1.9 million pilgrims pay visit to Ayodhya every year on various religious occasions. Now, most of the religious heritage sites and monuments are dilapidating and are in abandoning condition in lack of rational and viable conservation and preservation strategy, good administration management and lack of people awareness and their involvement. The present paper deals with the historical and cultural development of the heritage-sacred city of Ayodhya and examines the strategies in process for the future development, taking into consideration the National programmes of HRIDAY and PRASAD, and development of pilgrimage sites.