A Walk Through Ayodhya

Gayatri Shakti Peeth 

In stark contrast to massive and very ornate architecture of Kanak Bhawan, Gayatri Shakti Peeth is quite small and has a very unique design as compared to many of the other Hindu temples we will explore throughout this walk. Although the general color scheme and intuitive feel is about the same the overall design is much more simplistic and includes some shapes (such as the pillars on either side of the entrance) that don't seem to appear in many of the other temples.

Shri Yugal Madhuri Kunj

Shri Yugal Madhuri Kunj, much like Gayatri Shakti Peeth which we just looked at, is barely, if ever, mentioned on tourist websites, but has a quite unique look as compared to many other temples in the area. Although admittedly a little dilapidated, the natural way that the building materials have aged over time gives the temple's exterior a very beautiful patina. This is especially evident on the roof of the temple, where you can see how time has chipped away at the engineered curves and left a very organic and beautiful texture.

Raj Dwar Mandir

Our next stop is the very dramatic and awe inspiring Raj Dwar temple. In this lovely photo of the building we can see its impressive silhouette, with its tower rising firmly into the air. As is common with most of the temples on this walk, all of the detail work on this temple is made up of very organic yet symmetrical curves, giving it its unique aesthetic.

Hanuman Garhi Mandir

The Hanuman Garhi temple is another one of the main attractions both for tourists and Hindu people. This, like the first temple we visited, Kanak Bhawan, can partly be attributed to its prominent standing in Hinduism. The Temple is considered to be one of the most important in the area, almost equivalent to the future Ram Mandir we will visit at the end of our walk.

Dashrath Bhavan

Dashrath Bhavan has some of the most intricate and ornate detail on it's front face and entrance of any temple on our walk. It also has some of the most vibrant colors. Also take note of the two fish above the entrance of the temple for the next stop in our journey.

Shri Ratna Singhasan Rajgaddi

Shri Ratna Singhasan Rajgaddi is much more simplistic than most of the other temples we have looked at today, much like our second stop: Gayatri Shakti Peeth. The two fish above the entrance of both this building and the Dashrath Bhavan we just looked at is likely the two golden fish, which is part of the Ashtamangala, a set of eight symbols shared between Buddhism, Jainism, and as is apparent from its existence on this walk, Hinduism.

Sringar Bhawan

This temple has an interesting silhouette with its cylindrical sections on either end of its face and the very ornate section of its construction along the roof. It is also one of the only two temples on this walk with an almost all white color scheme giving it a unique look.

Shri Rang Mahal

Like some of the other temples on this walk, although the Shri Rang Mahal does not have any special place in the religion of Hinduism more broadly, it's uncommon and beautiful design makes it very much worth seeing. It strikes a nice balance between complexity and simplicity, and is just generally pleasant to look at. It also has a somewhat unique, more understated, color scheme as compared to the other temples found on our walk.