The Holiness of Ayodhya-Faizabad(INDIA): A Psychological Analysis with

Historical PerspectiveA. K. Tiwari* and M. Pathak**

*Dept. of Psychology, **Dept. of AncientHistory, K. S. Saket P. G. College,Ayodhya-Faizabad.

The article highlights the holiness of Ayodhya-Faizabadand proposes that this holiness contributes togreater tolerance among people leading to communalharmony here.This holiness has evolved during the longhistory of the region characterized by variedexperiences. The articlereviews the history of Ayodhya-Faizabad and discusses the attributes of its holiness. Italso suggests that the exceptional events like that of 90sof last century do not reveal the actual characteristics ofthis region.The two very recent incidences are describedto prove it.

Two incidences rocked Faizabad andsome of its towns recently. Although,both the incidences were generally

condemned by Hindus and Muslims in onevoice; but the nature of these incidenceswas such that one caused anguish moreamong Hindus and the other among Muslims.In the first incidence, the idolsofMahalakshmi, Mahakali and Mahasaraswatiwere stolen from the BadiDeokali templeof Faizabad. According to Hindu beliefs,this temple belonged to the ancestors ofBhagwan Ram, and the idols were worshipedby Ram and Sita. Therefore, thisincidence hurt the sentiments ofHindus.In the second incidence, somemischievous acts of a few youthsdisrupted the procession for immersion ofthe idols of Durga after 9 daysDurgaPooja.It was utilized by the rumor-mongers to provoke the mob. Therampageous elements of the agitated mobput several shops on fire. Most of theseshops belonged to Muslims. It angered theMuslim community, in general.

The purpose of description of abovetwo incidences is to highlight the point

that despite of the loaded intensity ofthese incidences, the people of Faizabadmaintained harmony and peace with oneanother. Though they expressed theiranguish at different occasions, but theydid it only through democratic means.They never allowed the situation to bedisturbed. Even the outsiders, whocameFaizabad with the intention toexploit the situation for their vestedinterests, returned back empty handed dueto not getting adequate local support.The authors, encouraged by this point,wish topropose that it happened due tothe holiness of Ayodhya-Faizabadregion.It is further proposed that thisholiness has evolved through the longhistory of the region, which haswitnessed rule of several dynastiesvarying on religion, faith, sect, casteand origin.This history is reviewed andpresented in brief in following sectionbefore focusing on the attributes ofholiness of the region.

Traditional History of Ayodhya andFaizabad(A) Ayodhya in ancient time:Ayodhya is a placeof great antiquity. Ayodhya and Faizabadare twin cities but Ayodhya is moreancient than Faizabad. Faizabad came intoexistence only during the mid-18th centuryin regimes of Nawabs, while Ayodhya has avery very long history. In ancient timesthe country round about Ayodhya was knownas Kosala and both find mention inancient literature. The first three Vedashowever, do not mention either Kosal orits capital, Ayodhya; it is only in theAtharvaveda that the city has beendescribed as having been built by theGods and being as prosperous as theparadise itself (Joshi, 1960). TheAitareya Brahmin (8.3-4) andSankhyanShrautsutra (15, 17, 25),however, describe Ayodhya as a merevillage. The Satpath Brahman speaks ofKosal as one of the countries of VedicAryan and the grammarian Panini (4.1,

171) mention it in one of his sutras.Vivid descriptions of Ayodhya are to befound in the Ramayana of Valmiki(Balkand) and the Mahabharat gives it theepithet of ‘punyalakshana’ (endowed withauspicious signs). The 5thShloka of6thSarga in Balkand of Valmiki Ramayanastates: ‘Manunamanvendrensaapurinirmitaswayam’.It meant that Ayodhya was built by Manu,who is recognized as the Indra of humanbeings (Swami Sri JairamDeoJiMaharaj,Samvat 2052). Skandapuran connects therecognition of Ayodhya with the strengthof bow of Lord Ram. (B) The Ikshhwaku Dynasty: The earliest andbest known kings of Kosala were Ikshvakus(or Suryavansis).Ayodhya was the chiefcity of Kosala. According to traditionalhistory, Ikshvaku- the eldest son of Manuwas the first ruler of Ayodhya kingdom.In Ayodhya,Ikshhwaku was succeeded by hisson Vikukshi OR Sasada), who ruled inaccordaqnce with law and custum

(Dharmatah). The earth is said to havederived its name ‘prithivi’ from Prithu,the 6th king of the line, who leveled theplains. His great- grandson, Shrawasta,is credited with the foundation of thecity of Shravasti, which in later timebecame the capital of Uttar Kosala.

The 31st king, Harischandra, well knownas the lover of truth, was a mighty rulerwho performed Rajsuya sacrifice. The 38th

king, Sagara performed ashwamedh (horsesacrifice) when his numerous sons dug alarge pit called ‘sagara’ (sea). Sagara’sgreat grandson Bhagirath is reputed tohave brought the Ganga toearth.Bhagiratha’s grate grandson,Ambarisha, in whose regime Ayodhya againrose to prominence, was a great donor anda reputed devotee of Vishnu.

After six or seven generationsDilipbecame king. His son was Raghu after whomthe family came to be called‘Raghuvansi’. His son, Aja, was marriedto the Vidarbh princess, Indumati, the

mother of Dasarath who was powerfulenough to lead his campaigns far and wideand to perform the horse sacrifice atAyodhya. It was in the period ofRamachandra- the eldest son of Dasaratha,that the glory of the Kosala royaldynasty reached its culmination. He iscredited with the establishment of anideally lawful state, the proverbialRama-rajya. Kosala emerges into greatprominence in this period. In the 93rd

generation from Ikshhwaku and the 30th

from Ram was Brihadbala, the last famousking of the Ikshhwaku dynasty of Ayodhya.He was killed in Mahabharat war. The lastknown king of the line was Sumitrain,inwhose regime the advent of Kaliyug tookplace and the family came to an end.

After Ikshwaku dynasty, 31 kings ofpost Mahabharata period includedSudhodhan, Sidharth, Rahul, Prasenjit- acontemporary of Budha. There werecontinuous rivalries among theneighboring countries of Kashi and Koshal

during this period. In this time periodNandas, Sungas, and then the Guptas ruledthe states.(C) The Restoration by Vikramajit: According totradition the credit for the restorationof Ayodhya goes to king Vikramaditya ofUjjain, who is usually identified withChandragupta Vikramaditya (379-413 A.D.),the son and successor of Samudragupta.The restoration of the neglected andforest-concealed Ajudhya is universallyattributed to Vikramaditya. His main cluein tracing the ancient city was of coursethe holy river Sarju, and his next wasthe shrine still known as the Nageshwar-Nath, which is dedicated to Mahadeo, andwhich presumably escaped the devastationof the Budhist and Atheist periods. Withthese clues and aided by descriptionswhich he found recoded in ancientmanuscripts, the different spots renderedsacred by association with the worldlyact of Rama. Sir H. Elliot mentioned thaton the occasion of Vikramajit’s visit to

Ajudhya, he erected temples at 360 placesrendered sacred by association with Rama.Of these shrines only 42 are known to thepresent generation. With the decline ofthe Guptas in the 6th century A.D.,Ayodhya also began gradually to becomedesolate. Then after; Gurjaras,, theBhars, The Rajputs had influence on thisregion for different times.(D) The Medieval Period – The Muslim Invasion: Thefirst Muslim invasion of Avadh or Ayodhyais ascribed to the legendary heroSaiyadSalarMasud Ghazi, popularly knownas Ghazi Mian. He is said to haveoccupied Avadh,some timebefore 1030 A.D.In 1194 A.D., Muiz-ud-din Muhammad binSam (commonly known as Shihab-ud-dinGhori) is said to have conquered Avadh.It is not quite clear when Ayodhya (orAvadh) became the headquarters of aMuslim province in the kingdom of Delhi.It was possibly in early 13th century.Mughals came here sometimes in around

1528 A.D; followed by the Nawabs (1720-1856).

Faizabad came into existence onlyduring the mid-18th century. Saadat Khanwas the governor of Avadh during thisperiod. He himself was residing chieflyin Ayodhya. Saadat Khan used an area ofJungle on the banks of the Ghaghara topitch his tent and also to hold hiscourts. Later he converted this area intoa military cantonment. He alsoconstructed a shooting plot around whichhe raised a mud wall with a bastion ateach corner as in a fort. After hisdeath, Saadat Khan was succeeded by hisnephew and son-in-law Safadar Jang, whowas the real founder of the city ofFaizabad. In the time of Safdar Jang,this township came to be called Faizabad(Hoey,1889). During this regime, a longBazaar alongwith some associated marketswere laid out by his men and othertraders. Also, some gardens as pleasureresorts were also developed. SafadarGanj

himself stayed in Delhi for aconsiderable period. His son Shuza-ud-daula succeeded him and made Faizabad hiscapital. In 1765, Shuza-ud-daula finallymade Faizabad his residence. (E) British rule and modern history: Afterdownfall of Nawabs, the Britishers gotfull control of the area. Thenafter, nomajor event barring some nugatoryconfrontations between Hindu and Muslimcommunities, occurred for many followingyears. During independence struggleagainst British rule, Hindus and Muslimsremained, more or less, united. Faizabadwas a big center for the activities offreedom struggle. Both types of freedomfighters (followers of Gandhi’s principleof nonviolence and the believers in thetradition of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru etc.)were active in Faizabad. The people,regardless of their religiousdifferences, unitedly provided all typesof support to the freedom fighters.

Ayodhya was used as the place of hidingfor freedom fighters and their arsenals.

The history suggests that theBritishers, annoyed with the freedomstruggles in the country, planned todivide Hindus and Muslims in differentparts of the country. They cleverlyconspired for that. They traced theissues of bones of contentions betweenthe two communities at different placesand used it to make division betweenthem. The Britishers realized that therehave been confrontations between Hindusand Muslims on the issue of Sri RamJanamBhumi- Babri Masjid controversy inthis reason, so they tried to utilizethis issue also for the same purpose.However, they could not succeed in theirintentions as much as the Hindu rightistssucceeded later after independence.Unfortunately, these fanatic people havepoured more fuel to this fire.Ayodhyaalso had been invaded by several foreigngroups, kingdoms or dynasties, during

different time phases similar to manyother parts of the country. However,there was one extra invasion exclusively inAyodhya. That was by fundamentalist HinduKarsewaks during 1990-1992. During thisperiod they frequently ‘invaded’ Ayodhyaand, finally, they succeeded indemolishing the Ram JanamBhumi-Babri Mosquestructure on 6th of December, 1992. TheKarsewaks had included people fromdifferent corners of the country. Thelocal people of Ayodhya provided themmoral and a little financial andmanagement level supports. But they neverbecame direct part of Karsewaks’ activism.Even they did not directly involvethemselves in violent actions oragitations. The incidences of 1990 and1992 brought this issue in internationalattention also. One should accept that itgave a bad name to this ‘holy city’.Holiness of Ayodhya-Faizabad: TheAttributes

The above historical review suggeststhat different religions ruled or were inpower of this region in different phasesof time. Despite this, the people of allcommunity lived together with one anotherand had a relatively harmoniousrelationship among them. It gave them anopportunity to cultivate tolerance andskills to live in a heterogeneoussociety. This skill, when got combinedwith sacred religious traditions of thisregion, broadened the scope of holinessof the region. This holiness getsexpressed through its followingattributes.

I. Spiritual/religious psyche and behavioralpiousness:The people of Ayodhya, ingeneral, have a spiritual/religiouspsyche. Since they believe that they areresident of a place whereMaryadapurushottamaBhagawan Ram was borntherefore they think that it is theirspecial responsibility to behave inreligious ways. Their behaviors should be

pure and ethical on all norms.MaryadapurushottamaBhagawan Ram, throughhis worldly life, had set the example ofthe ideal way of everyday living based ondutifulness which every individual shouldimitate. Such sentiments prevent them indoing unreligious or so-called sinfulacts. Many of the people of Ayodhya takebath in ‘PawanSarju’ in the morning,perform ritual-based pooja at temples,and listen the preaching of religiousGurus. Ram is incarnation of God,therefore he is worshiped as ‘Bhagawan’.

The identity of Ayodhya is deeplyassociated with Rama and Rama is“Bhagawan’, therefore the people livinghere would naturally be expected to bemore religious/spiritual. The peoplevisit here from different corners of thecountry with their religious intentions.Many older people come to pass their restof life in this holy town for Mokchha.All this make Ayodhya a unique andspecial place. The sounds of Ghanta and

Ghariyal along with Aarti and Bhajans-coming from different templessimultaneously, particularly in themorning and evening, give sensational(sometimes transcendental) feelings here.

II. Religious diversity with harmonious relationship:Ayodhya is not a place of importance forHindus only. It has been given equalimportance by people of many otherreligious systems on the ground of theirtraditional faiths about this place. TheMuslims, Jains and Baudhha- all havetheir reasons to have strong feelingsabout Ayodhya. Hindus- itself are dividedin different sects, but the Ayodhya isequally worshiped by all of them. It isstated in Skandapuran that Brahma, Vishnuand Mahesh- all three major Gods,worshiped in Hindu faith have their nameincluded in Ayodhya:

‘Akaro Brahma cha proktam,yakaroVishnuruchyate.DhakaroRudrarupasch, Ayodhyanaamrajate’.

(meaning thereby, ‘A’ of Ayodhya isrepresentation of Brahma, ‘y’ is forVishnu and ‘Dh’ for Mahesh.)

There are some very prestigious Jaintemples in Ayodhya. Sir H. Elliot hastold that on the occasion of Vikramajit’svisit to Ajudhya, he erected temples at360 places rendered sacred by associationwith Rama. Among them, six Mandirs wereassociated primarily with Jain faith. Thegenerally received opinion of Jain sectis that they are a branch of theBuddhists who escaped the fate of theorthodox followers of Gautama in theeighth and ninth centuries, by conformingsomewhat to Brahminism and even helpingto persecute the Buddhists. The Jainsrecognize 24 Jainas or Tirthankars orhierarchs, and in this they resemble theHindus. The first of these and thefounder of the sect was Adinath, alsocalled Rishabhnath, also Adisarjidwal andRikabdeo. This Jaina was thirteen timesincarnate, the last time in the family of

Ikshwaku of the solar race, when he wasborn at Ajudhya, his father’s name beingNabi and his mother’s Miru. According toJain tradition, twentythree out of thetwentyfourTirthankars were of this line(Ikshhwakuvanshiya line), of whom fivewere born in Ayodhya itself includingAdinath (or Rishabhadeva) who was thefirst. During Buddha period, Ayodhya sunkinto insignificance, whereas Saket andShravasti figured among the six greatcities in India.

Despite such religious diversity,Ayodhya has never been a communal place.The traditional historyhas proved thatthere has been always a communal harmonyin this area. Even during the hype of SriRam JanamBhumi – Babari Masjidagitations, when the city was overflooded byKarsewakas- assembled fromdifferent corners of the country thatconsequently resulted in historicdemolition of the structure, the peopleof Ayodhya and Faizabad maintained peace

and harmony in general. The same happenedat the time of judgment on thecontentious issue of Sri Ram JanamBhumi –Babari Masjid by the Lucknow bench of U.P. High Court. The recent events-discussed in the beginning, once againproved it.

III. Happiness and pleasures:Ayodhya has alwaysbeen a place of great prosperity.Agriculturally, it has been comprised offertile lands and river. Due to beingrecognized as the birth place of LordRam, it has always attracted a largenumber of Hindu pilgrims- particularlyduring different types of Melas organizedat the occasions of different festivals.The tourists of not only Hindu community,but other communities have been visitingAyodhya. Many foreigners also visit here.The devotees and tourists do not onlyoffer prayers in the temples of Ayodhya,they offer ‘Daans’ also- in both cash andkind. All this has been contributing tothe prosperity of Ayodhya. It is quite

possible that the notion of ‘Ram Rajya’would have been emerged in the backgroundof multifaceted prosperities of thisarea. It suggests that the people ofAyodhya and nearby regions possessconditions- adequate for physicalpleasure.

In a recent study, it was found thatthe people of Ayodhya feel morehappiness, in general (Tiwari,2012).Their happiness is more of eudemonic andstable nature. The regression analysis,applied in this study, revealed that thespirituality and behavioral piousnesscontributed highly to all the domains ofhappiness including physical (hedonic)pleasure. This result indicates that thehappiness and pleasure in people ofAyodhya are based on holy grounds.

IV. Some points of negatory nature.One should notexpect only all the goodness inAyodhya.Some scholars have noted a fewpoints of modern Ayodhya that have givendisrepute to this holy city. Singh

(2006), after closely observing theactivities of Ayodhya, expressed the viewthat some of these activities havedamaged the purity of Ayodhya. Accordingto them, there are some Pandas andPoojaris who go to the limit ofblackmailing the innocent devotees andpiligrims on religious grounds in orderto get more and more Daan-Dakchhina.Furthermore, some organizations of Hinduactivists are continuously working herein the name of protecting the interestsof Hindus or for the cause of a grand RamMandir at the disputed land. Theiractivities provoke Hindu and Muslim –both communities on different grounds. Ithas affected the strength of communalharmony in this region.Tripathi (2009)has critically analyzed the root causesof Ayodhya controversy. According to him,development of faulty intergroupidentities on the basis of imagined pastofAyodhyahave perpetuated the dispute. Heopined that this imagined past does not

have valid proof. Therefore, in hisopinion, people of both communitiesneedto be made aware of this fact. It wouldhelp in solving the problem. However, itcan be noted that these contentions hadvalidity not only in the context ofAyodhya, they are equally generalizableto most of the issues of intergroupdisputes.Conclusive remarks

The eventsof 90s of last century gavedisrepute to Ayodhya-Faizabad. Manypeople of our country and also of someother countries are identifying thisregion as a place of Mandir-Masjidcontroversy leading to Hindu-Muslimconflicts. The article attempts to refuteit. Ayodhya-Faizabad has a long historycharacterized by a strong tradition ofcommunal harmony, peace and love; withonly a few exceptional events ofconflicts. The article suggests that itis the holiness of this region, which hascontributed to these positive attributes.

This holiness has evolved during longhistory of varied experiences of theregion. The insights drawn from thisarticle can be used in developingintergroup harmony in other places of thecountry.

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Singh, K.P. (2006). Poojiye to is Ayodhyakopoojiye. Faizabad:

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Tiwari, A. K. (2012). In search of happiness through spirituality: A qualitative study of people’s lives in the holy city of Ayodhya. Unpublshed report submitted to ICSSR, New Delhi.Tripathi, R.C. (2009). Hindu social identities and

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