సరయూ ఘాట్

The Saryu has flowed past Ayodhya for as long as the city has existed. The present stone-paved ghats were rebuilt and extended in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries; the Ram Ki Paidi project of the 1980s-90s built the long curving stone-steps along the river-bend that pilgrims walk today. The 2023-2024 redevelopment as part of the wider Ayodhya beautification — coinciding with the new Ram Mandir — built modern aarti pavilions, riverside lighting, public infrastructure for the Deep Utsav, and ghat-to-temple roadways.

The Saryu Ghat extends over 1.5 km along the river-front. The principal aarti-station — Ram Ki Paidi — is at the central bend with stone-paved steps, brass lamp-pillars, and small subsidiary shrines (Saryu Devi, Hanuman, and small Ram-Sita murtis). The Naya Ghat to the south and the Guptar Ghat to the north extend the river-front. The newly-built aarti pavilion (2023) has tiered seating for visitors and improved sightlines for the evening aarti.

The day at Saryu Ghat begins with pilgrim baths from before sunrise. By mid-morning the ghat is busy with tarpan and pind-daan; small pandits sit at marked stations to assist pilgrims with these rites (licensed and with set rates). The evening Saryu Aarti begins at sunset — typically around 6:30 PM in summer, 5:45 PM in winter — with great brass lamps, conch, bell, and recitation of the Saryu Ashtakam. The aarti runs for about 30 minutes; pilgrims float small leaf-cups with diyas into the river as it begins.

The traditional sequence in Ayodhya is: morning Saryu snan, Hanuman Garhi darshan, Ram Janmabhoomi, Kanak Bhawan, Sita Ki Rasoi, and return to Saryu Ghat for the evening aarti. The full circuit takes a comfortable 2-3 days.