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Ayodhya, 6km from Faizabad, is one of Hinduism's seven holy cities. It's a major pilgrimage centre since it
is not only the birthplace of Rama, it's also connected with many events in the Ramayana. The ancient city of Ayodhya, according to the Ramayana, was founded by Manu, the law-giver of the Hindus. For centuries, it enjoyed the pride of being the capital of the kings of the Surya or Ikshavaka dynasty, also known as the Raghuvansh, of which Lord Rama was the most celebrated king.
With the death of the last king of the Raghuvanshis, Ayodhya fell into decadence. During the Gupta period (200-400 AD approximately). Emperor Vikramaditya. and some of his successors. tried to restore its past glory.
Ayodhya has given its name to the region Avadh, which extends from Varanasi to Lucknow and figured very prominently between 17th and the 19th centuries. Nawabs of Avadh constructed many important structures in Faizabad, an adjoining city of Ayodhya.
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