The Ram Mandir is a Hindu temple under construction in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, the hypothesized birthplace of Rama, a principal deity of Hinduism. The temple is expected to be inaugurated on 22 January 2024, after a long and controversial history of the site.

The site was previously occupied by the Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque that was demolished by Hindu activists in 1992, sparking communal riots across the country. The Supreme Court of India ruled in 2019 that the disputed land belonged to the Hindus, and ordered the government to provide an alternative site for the Muslims to build a mosque. The construction of the temple is being supervised by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which has received donations from millions of devotees.

The temple is designed in the Nagara style of architecture, with a height of 161 feet and a built-up area of 57,400 square feet. It will have one central temple and six smaller temples around it, dedicated to various deities associated with Rama. The temple will also have a museum, a library, a research center, and a food court. The temple is expected to attract millions of pilgrims and tourists every year and boost the economy and culture of Ayodhya.

The journey of Ram

Referring to Hindu mythology, Devdutt Pattanaik writes: Dashrath had three wives but no children. So he conducted a yagna and invoked the gods who gave him a magic potion…In time the queens gave birth to four sons. Ram was the eldest, born to the chief queen Kaushalya, Bharat was second, born to Dashrath’s favourite queen, Kaikeyi, and Lakshmana and Shatrughna were twin sons of the third queen, Sumitra.”

Ram completed his early education under Rishi Vasishth. He was once asked to defend Rishi Vishwamitra’s hermitage from an attack by demons known as Rakshasas. Ram killed the demons. As a reward, the rishi taught him magical chants that turned mere arrows into powerful missiles. The rishi, Pattanaik informs, took Ram to Mithila, the capital of Videha. Here he found Ahilya, the wife of Gautam. Ahilya had been turned into a stone for being unfaithful to him. Ram stepped on the stone that was Ahilya who immediately came to life.

Later, Ram, Sita, and Lakshman spent months of their 14-year banishment.

Ramcharitmanas and Tulsidas

Author Pavan K. Varma writes in his book "The Greatest Ode to Lord Ram: Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas", “Tulsidas spent the early years of his life in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Ram. He began to write Ramcharitmanas in 1574, on Ram Navami, the birth date of Ram. After writing the first three sections of the book, he wrote the other four in Kashi, for which he had to depart because of a dispute with one of the religious heads in Ayodhya.”