Tīrthas of Ayodhyā

Ayodhyā has one of the richest collections of tīrthas in the Purāṇic world. The Ayodhyā Māhātmya in the Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa names more than thirty tīrthas, kuṇḍas (sacred tanks) and holy spots inside the city’s bounds. Each has its own origin, its presiding deva, its yearly festival and its own phala (merit).

The whole holy zone is shaped like a fish. It rests on the Sudarśana Cakra of Bhagavān Vishṇu. The Sarayū bounds it on the north and the Tamasā on the south, and it reaches one Yojana east and west. Here are the main tīrthas with their places, origins and festivals.

The sacred geography of Ayodhyā

The Māhātmya says that Ayodhyā does not rest on the earth. It stands on the Sudarśana Cakra of Bhagavān Vishṇu. The holy zone has the shape of a fish. Its head points west, between Gopratāra and Asita. Its back is to the east, and its middle runs from north to south. The Sarayū is the northern boundary and the Tamasā is the southern boundary.

In the name Ayodhyā, the letter “A” stands for Brahmā, “yo” stands for Vishṇu, and “dhyā” is a form of Rudra. So the name of the city itself speaks of the Trimūrti. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Ayodhyā Māhātmya, Chapter 1)

Tīrthas in the eastern section, along the Sarayū

1. Cakratīrtha

• Origin: Bhagavān Vishṇu dug the earth with his Sudarśana Cakra and brought up water of the Gaṅgā from the nether worlds. He did this at the request of the brāhmaṇa Vishṇu Śarmā, after Vishṇu Śarmā’s three years of tapas.
• Presiding deva: Vishṇuhari, whose mūrti Vishṇu Śarmā set up. The yearly festival runs from Kārttika Daśamī to Pūrṇimā.
• Phala: A bath here destroys all pāpa (sin), and the bather is honoured in svarga (heaven) for thousands of years. Pitṛ-tarpaṇa here takes the ancestors to the world of Vishṇu.

2. Brahmakuṇḍa

• Place: East of Cakratīrtha.
• Origin: Brahmā made it after he did a yajña at Ayodhyā, when he heard that Vishṇuhari was present.
• Yearly festival: The fourteenth day of the bright half of Kārttika.
• Phala: A bath here gives purity and radiance. The bather reaches Brahmaloka and stays until all beings dissolve. One should give gold and clothes and please the brāhmaṇas.

3. Ṛṇamocanā Tīrtha

• Place: In the waters of the Sarayū, northeast of Brahmakuṇḍa, about 700 dhanus away.
• Origin: The ṛshi Lomaśa bathed here on his pilgrimage and was freed at once from all debt. He told other ṛshis of its greatness.
• Phala: A bath here destroys at once the threefold debt of human beings: to the Pitṛs, to the devas and to the ṛshis.

4. Pāpamocanā Tīrtha

• Place: In the current of the Sarayū, east of Ṛṇamocanā, about 200 dhanus away.
• Yearly festival: The fourteenth day of the dark half of Māgha.
• Phala: All pāpa is destroyed at once. A brāhmaṇa from Pañcāla, a man of great pāpa, came to Ayodhyā with good people and bathed here. He was made pure at once and rose to the world of Vishṇu in a divine aerial chariot (vimāna).

5. Sahasradhārā Tīrtha

• Place: East of Pāpamocanā, about 100 dhanus away. It measures 25 dhanus.
• Origin: Lakshmaṇa merged into Śesha here after Rāma gave him up, because of the episode of Kāla and Durvāsa. Śesha broke through the ground with his thousand hoods and made a thousand springs. (This is told in the narrative of Lakshmaṇa at Sahasradhārā.)
• Yearly festival: The fifth day of the bright half of Śrāvaṇa (Nāga-pañcamī). A bath in Vaiśākha is especially meritorious.
• Phala: A bath here and the sight of Śesha take one to the world of Vishṇu. A gift of a milch cow with her calf gives a lasting home in Vaikuṇṭha. The text says: “Those who take a holy bath here in the month of Vaiśākha will never return to the earth even in hundreds and crores of kalpas.”

6. Svargadvāra Tīrtha

• Place: East of Sahasradhārā, 636 dhanus further east, in the waters of the Sarayū.
• Phala: The text says: “There is no other tīrtha on a par with Svargadvāra in the whole sphere of the Cosmic Egg.” All the tīrthas of the higher worlds and of the earth gather here every morning. Whoever gives up life here, by whatever means, goes to the highest abode of Vishṇu. Even half a moment’s stay in Ayodhyā in Kali Yuga gives the benefit of sixty thousand years’ stay at Kāśī. This is where Rāma and all the citizens of Sāketa entered svarga (heaven) at the Mahāprasthāna.

Tīrthas in the central section

7. Candrahari

• Place: Near the eastern section, in the area of Svargadvāra.
• Origin: Candra (the Moon) came to Ayodhyā on pilgrimage, did hard tapas and pleased Bhagavān Vishṇu. He set up Hari with his own name before it: Candrahari.
• Yearly festival: The full-moon day (Pūrṇimā) of Jyeshṭha. This is also the day for the Udyāpana (closing rite) of the Candrasahasra Vrata.
• Phala: All desired things, and a home in the world of Vishṇu. Siddhas live here always, keeping the Govinda Vrata.

8. Dharmahari

• Place: Southeast of Candrahari.
• Origin: A brāhmaṇa named Dharma came on pilgrimage. The greatness of Ayodhyā overwhelmed him, and he danced for joy. Hari gave him darśana. He set up Hari with his own name: Dharmahari.
• Yearly festival: The eleventh day of the bright half of Āshāḍha.
• Phala: One is freed from all pāpa. Rites of atonement done here are especially effective.

9. Svarṇakhaṇi (the gold mine)

• Place: South of Dharmahari.
• Origin: Kubera sent a great shower of gold coins here, in fear of an attack by King Raghu. This met the need of Kautsa, who had to pay guru-dakshiṇā (the teacher’s fee) to Viśvāmitra. (This is told in the narrative of Raghu, Kautsa and Kubera.)
• Yearly festival: The twelfth day of the bright half of Vaiśākha.
• Phala: Fortune and glory. The ground of this holy spot is said to be made of gold and set with divine jewels.

10. Tilodakī confluence

• Place: South of Svarṇakhaṇi, where the river Tilodakī meets the Sarayū.
• Origin: Rāma made the river Tilodakī to give drinking water to his horses from the Sindhu region. Its water was dark like tila (sesame seeds), and so it was named Tilodakī.
• Yearly festival: The new-moon day of Bhādrapada.
• Phala: A holy bath here equals the merit of ten aśvamedha yajñas. A gift of cooked rice here means one is not born again. A bath anywhere on the Tilodakī, not only at the confluence, removes the pāpa of seven births.

11. Sītākuṇḍa

• Place: West of the Tilodakī confluence.
• Origin: Sītā herself made it, and Rāma gave it varas (boons). A second Sītākuṇḍa is on the Tamasā, near Dugdheśvara (see Chapter 9 and entry 32).
• Yearly festival: The fourteenth day of the dark half of Mārgaśīrsha.
• Phala: A holy bath here brings one to Rāma. The text says: “One who takes the holy bath at any other time goes to the world of Vishṇu.”

12. Cakrahari

• Place: West of Vishṇuhari.
• Origin: The Sudarśana Cakra fell from the hand of Vishṇu when he came to Ayodhyā to do his secret Guptahari tapas. (This is told in the narrative of Gupta Hari and the devas.)
• Yearly festival: The eleventh day of the bright half of Mārgaśīrsha.
• Phala: By seeing both Cakrahari and Harismṛti, all the pāpa of embodied beings is destroyed.

13. Harismṛti

• Place: West of Cakrahari.
• Phala: The text says that by merely seeing Bhagavān Hari here one is freed from all pāpa.

14. Guptahari

• Place: Near the meeting of the Sarayū and the Ghargharā.
• Origin: Bhagavān Vishṇu did secret (gupta) tapas here to increase the radiance of the devas, after the daityas had defeated them. (This is told in the narrative of Gupta Hari and the devas.)
• Yearly festival: Kārttikī Pūrṇimā, the full-moon day of Kārttika.
• Phala: All desired things, and a lasting home in svarga (heaven). A gift of a well-adorned cow here brings happiness everywhere.

15. Gopratāra (the confluence)

• Place: The meeting of the Sarayū and the Ghargharā (Goghrā), 3 Yojanas west of the city’s western boundary.
• Origin: Here all the citizens of Sāketa entered the waters at Rāma’s Mahāprasthāna. (This is told in the narrative of Rāma’s Mahāprasthāna from Ayodhyā.)
• Special month: Pausha. A bath is especially good on the full-moon day of Pausha. All the tīrthas gather here in Kārttika.
• Phala: The highest tīrtha of Ayodhyā. The text says: “In the other tīrthas, if yoga is achieved through hundreds of births, moksha may or may not be won in a single birth. But there is no doubt at all in the case of Gopratāra.” Even Prayāgarāja comes here in Kārttika to bathe. The merit equals a thousand aśvamedha yajñas and a hundred Vājapeyas.

Kuṇḍas in the western and northern section

16. Kshīrodaka

• Place: Northwest of Sītākuṇḍa.
• Origin: King Daśaratha did the Putreshṭi Yajña here. When the yajña ended, Agni (Kratubhuk) appeared with a gold vessel of havis mixed with the radiance of Vishṇu. Daśaratha divided it into four portions for his wives. The place where this wonderful milk was found became Kshīrodaka.
• Yearly festival: The eleventh day of the bright half of Āśvina.
• Phala: All desires are met, and one gains good sons.

17. Bṛhaspatikuṇḍa

• Place: Southwest of Kshīrodaka.
• Origin: Bṛhaspati, the teacher of the suras, built his home here and did a yajña with groups of ṛshis.
• Yearly festival: The fifth day of the bright half of Bhādrapada. Thursdays are also auspicious.
• Phala: A bath, and pūjā of Bṛhaspati and Vishṇu here, free one from all pāpa. A gold mūrti of Bṛhaspati is to be given to cure the harm of Jupiter’s passage (Bṛhaspati Gochara) in the horoscope.

18. Rukmiṇīkuṇḍa

• Place: South of Bṛhaspatikuṇḍa.
• Origin: Rukmiṇī herself, the beloved of Kṛshṇa, built it. Bhagavān Vishṇu stays in its water out of love for his wife.
• Yearly festival: The ninth day of the dark half of Kārttika.
• Phala: Fortune, children and divine pleasures. Vaishṇava meditation is to be done on the prescribed form of Bhagavān Vishṇu.

19. Dhanayaksha

• Place: Northwest of Rukmiṇīkuṇḍa.
• Origin: Viśvāmitra stored here the wealth he had taken from Hariścandra. A yaksha named Pramanthura guarded it. Pramanthura guarded the wealth perfectly, and Viśvāmitra was pleased. He cured the yaksha’s body odour, which was the result of a curse (śāpa). The yaksha asked the ṛshi to make the place famous, and Viśvāmitra named it Dhanayaksha. The nine Nidhis (divine treasures) are present here.
• Yearly festival: The fourteenth day of the dark half of Māgha.
• Phala: Wealth, sons and moksha, whatever one wants. Pūjā of Lakshmī and of the nine Nidhis is especially powerful here. The nine Nidhis are Mahāpadma, Padma, Śaṅkha, Makara, Kacchapa, Mukunda, Kunda, Nīla and Kharva.

20. Vasishṭhakuṇḍa

• Place: North of Dhanayaksha.
• Origin: Vasishṭha always lives here, with Arundhatī always at his side. Vāmadeva is also present.
• Yearly festival: The fifth day of the bright half of Bhādrapada.
• Phala: The text says: “He who takes a bath here shall become equal to Vasishṭha.” There is special merit for śrāddha here.

21. Sāgarakuṇḍa

• Place: West of Vasishṭhakuṇḍa.
• Yearly festival: The full-moon day of Āśvina.
• Phala: The merit equals a bath in the ocean on a full-moon day. It helps those who want sons.

22. Yoginīkuṇḍa

• Place: Southwest of Sāgarakuṇḍa.
• Description: The sixty-four Yoginīs stand in the water here.
• Yearly festival: The eighth day of the bright half of Āśvina.
• Phala: The sixty-four Yoginīs give all the Siddhis. Yakshiṇīs can be won over here.

23. Urvaśīkuṇḍa

• Place: East of Yoginīkuṇḍa.
• Origin: The apsarā Urvaśī had been cursed by the ṛshi Raibhya to become ugly, because she had broken in on his tapas. She bathed here at his word and at once regained her great beauty. (This is told in the narrative of Urvaśī and Raibhya at Ayodhyā.)
• Yearly festival: The third day of the bright half of Bhādrapada.
• Phala: Great charm and beauty, and the winning of Urvaśī in svarga (heaven).

24. Ghosharkakuṇḍa

• Place: South of Urvaśīkuṇḍa.
• Origin: King Ghosha had wounds full of worms. He bathed here while hunting and was healed at once. He recited a stotra to Sūrya. Sūrya appeared and gave him a vara (boon). (This is told in the narrative of Ghosha and Ghosharka.)
• Yearly festival: The sixth day of the bright half of Bhādrapada or Māgha. It is especially good on Sundays.
• Phala: A cure of skin diseases, festering sores and leprosy, and a home in the world of Sūrya.

Kuṇḍas in the western section, the Ratikuṇḍa area

25. Ratikuṇḍa and Kusumāyudhakuṇḍa

• Place: West of Ghosharkakuṇḍa.
• Yearly festival: The fifth day of the bright half of Māgha (Vasanta-Pañcamī).
• Phala: Couples who bathe in both become famous like Rati and Kāma. They gain bodily beauty and charm for good.

26. Mantreśvara

• Place: West of Kusumāyudhakuṇḍa.
• Origin: Rāma set up a Śiva Liṅga here after he spoke with Kāla (Time) about his return to svarga.
• Yearly festival: The fourteenth day of the bright half of Caitra.
• Phala: The text says: “Those who visit Bhagavān Mantreśvara will never return even in hundreds and crores of kalpas.” It is a Śiva Liṅga without an equal.

Kuṇḍas in the southern section

27. Bharatakuṇḍa

• Place: Near Nandigrāma (about 8 miles from Ayodhyā), north of Bhairava.
• Origin: Bharata made this kuṇḍa and set up Rāma’s image here. He lived at Nandigrāma in renunciation, waiting for Rāma to return from exile.
• Phala: Endless merit for a holy bath, for gifts and for śrāddha. The Pitṛs are pleased, and the merit is great.

28. Jāṭakuṇḍa

• Place: West of Bharatakuṇḍa.
• Origin: Rāma, Lakshmaṇa and the others took off their matted hair (jaṭā) here.
• Yearly festival: The fourteenth day of the dark half of Caitra.
• Phala: All desires are met. Rāma and Sītā are worshipped here.

29. Gayākūpa

• Place: Southeast of Jāṭakuṇḍa.
• Phala: Śrāddha here brings the Pitṛs, even those in naraka (hell), to the world of Vishṇu. It is especially effective on Mondays, and when the new moon falls on a Monday.

30. Piśācamocanā

• Place: East of Gayākūpa.
• Yearly festival: The fourteenth day of the bright half of Mārgaśīrsha.
• Phala: One never becomes a piśāca (ghost). A special bath on the set day takes away the state of a piśāca.

31. Mānasatīrtha

• Place: Near Piśācamocanā, on the eastern side.
• Yearly festival: The full-moon day of Bhādrapada.
• Phala: Even pāpa as huge as Meru dissolves here. Pāpa of mind, speech and body is all washed away.

Holy spots near the Tamasā

32. Sītākuṇḍa on the Tamasā, and Dugdheśvara

• Origin: Kāmadhenu came down with milk flowing from her udders to welcome Rāma on his return from Laṅkā. The milk touched the ground. Vasishṭha named a Śiva Liṅga within the milk as Dugdheśvara. Rāma worshipped the Liṅga. Sītā honoured the kuṇḍa, and so it became Sītākuṇḍa. It is a different Sītākuṇḍa from the one in Chapter 6.
• Yearly festival: The fourteenth day of Jyeshṭha.

33. Bhairava

• Place: South of the Tamasā Sītākuṇḍa.
• Yearly festival: The eighth day of the dark half of Mārgaśīrsha.
• Description: Vāsudeva guards him, to protect the holy spot of Ayodhyā. Worship of him gives an undisturbed stay in the tīrtha.

Other holy spots

34. Rāmajanmabhūmi (the birthplace of Rāma)

• Place: Northeast of Vighneśvara; east of Vasishṭha’s spot; west of Lomaśa’s spot; north of Vasishṭha’s.
• Phala: The text says: “Only by visiting it can a man be rid of living again and again in a womb.” No gifts, tapas, yajñas or other pilgrimages are needed. The visit alone is enough. On the Navamī day (Rāma Navamī), the phala is freedom from the bondage of births.

35. Siddhasthāna / Mahāvidyā

• Place: Near the area where Bharata waited for Rāma. Kāmadhenu appeared here.
• Yearly festival: Nine days of the bright half of Āśvina.
• Phala: Siddhis can be reached. Even hard mantras become perfect here.

36. Vīra (the elephant)

• Place: To the north of the pilgrim route.
• Yearly festival: The fifth day of Navarātri (Āśvina).
• Description: The great elephant in rut, the defender of Ayodhyā, who gives all that is wished for.

37. Sūrasā (the rākshasī)

• Place: Rāma set her up for the defence of Ayodhyā. She was brought from Laṅkā.
• Yearly festival: The third day of Navarātri.
• Description: A constant devotee of Vishṇu. She gives Siddhis, happiness and children.

Summary table of the main tīrthas

Sources

• Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Ayodhyā Māhātmya, Chapters 1–10