Treta ke Thakur

A popular attraction in Ayodhya is the treta-ke-thakur Temple which is dedicated to Shri Rama, who is referred to as the Lord of the Treta Yug (second out of the four yugas or ages of mankind, as per Hinduism). Located at Ayodhya's Naya Ghat, the temple was built by the king of Kullu 300 years ago and continues to draw devotees in large numbers. The temple holds immense religious significance. Legend has it that it was here that Lord Rama had conducted the 'Ashwadmedha Yagya' to celebrate his victory over Ravana. The temple houses idols of Shri Ram, Sita Ji, Lakshman Ji, Hanuman Ji and other important mythological deities from the epic, Ramayana. These have been carved out of a single block of black stone. The best time to visit the temple is during the Hindu calendar month of Kartik (October-November), when the temple is flocked by devotees on the eleventh day of the month ie Ekadashi. This temple is also famous as Kaleram-ka-Mandir. The king of Kullu (Himachal Pradesh) built the present structure about three centuries ago. Later, Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore got it renovated. The idols installed here are made of black sandstone. It is believed that these belong to the period of King Vikramaditya.