हिंदीOn this day
Rebuilt

Kanak Bhawan, Ayodhya

The ‘golden palace’ that, by Ayodhya’s tradition, Mata Kaikeyi gave to Sita on her arrival as a bride. The present palace-temple was built in 1891 by the Bundela queen Vrishbhanu Kunwari of Orchha.

Built: Present temple 1891, Maharani Vrishbhanu Kunwari of Orchha (Tikamgarh)Where: Uttar Pradesh (Ayodhya)Deity: Shri Sita and Rama26.80° N, 82.20° E
  1. 1891
Photo: Gargi1313 · CC BY 4.0

01Kaikeyi’s gift

Ayodhya remembers Kanak Bhawan as the private palace of Sita and Rama, given by Kaikeyi to her new daughter-in-law. Its tradition says it was rebuilt by Kusha after Rama’s time and renewed again by Vikramaditya. In the sanctum, Sita and Rama stand crowned in gold, and the worship is that of the rasik tradition of Ayodhya, in which the devotee serves the divine couple as a sakhi in their palace. Bhajans and kirtan run through the day in the courtyard.

02The Orchha queen

The building that stands today was raised in 1891 by Maharani Vrishbhanu Kunwari, wife of Maharaja Pratap Singh of Orchha, and it looks like what it is, a Bundelkhand palace: a large courtyard, galleries round it, and gold-touched doors. Orchha has had a special bond with Ayodhya since Rani Ganesh Kunwari brought Ram Raja from Ayodhya in the 16th century, and the Bundela rulers kept giving to the city.

The life of this place

  1. 1891Maharani Vrishbhanu Kunwari of Orchha builds the present temple.
Visiting

Kanak Bhawan is in Ramkot, north-east of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple and a short walk from Hanuman Garhi.

Nearby

Hanuman Garhi, AyodhyaStanding
Maratha ascendancy and the Sikh empire

Hanuman Garhi, Ayodhya

The hilltop fort-temple of Hanuman in Ayodhya, reached by 76 steps, where by custom pilgrims take Hanuman’s leave before darshan of Shri Ram Lalla. It is held by the Nirvani Akhara of the Ramanandi bairagis.

Ayodhya (Saketa)Standing
Vedic Rishis and the Itihasa

Ayodhya (Saketa)

The city of the Ikshvakus on the Sarayu, first of the seven moksha-giving cities, birthplace of Shri Ram and of five Jain Tirthankaras. A Shunga-period inscription found here calls the place Kosala and names its king Dhanadeva as a descendant of Pushyamitra.

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, AyodhyaRebuilt
Independent Bharat

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, Ayodhya

The birthplace of Shri Ram in Ayodhya, the capital of the Ikshvakus. A mosque stood on the spot from 1528; after five centuries of struggle and a unanimous Supreme Court judgment in 2019, a new temple was consecrated in 2024.

Nageshwarnath Temple, AyodhyaRebuilt
Maratha ascendancy and the Sikh empire

Nageshwarnath Temple, Ayodhya

The Shiva temple at Ram ki Paidi on the Sarayu which, by Ayodhya’s tradition, Kusha founded for a Naga maiden devoted to Shiva. The present temple was built in 1750 by Naval Rai, minister of Nawab Safdar Jang.