Ayodhya of antiquity: Ground zero of Hindutva politics set for new makeover

Virendra Singh Rawat looks at projects planned to put this temple town on the national and international tourism map

The recent off-the-cuff remark by Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli claiming Lord Ram was born in his country stirred a major controversy and put the media spotlight back on Ayodhya, away from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Indo-China border standoff.

Situated on the banks of the River Saryu, Ayodhya -- the proverbial ground zero of Hindutva politics -- is a much revered constituent of the Awadh region in central Uttar Pradesh for its association with Lord Ram and being the nucleus of the protracted Ram temple movement, which predated the country’s Independence.

After a prolonged legal battle, a Division