20 Million devotees in next 6 months: UP govt goes full throttle to handle pilgrim footfall in Ayodhya

New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government is gearing up to ensure that Ayodhya is ready for the expected surge in tourists after the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony gets over on January 22 and the temple is opened to the public two days later. In focus are accommodation, logistics, traffic movement, parking spaces, drinking water arrangements, route diversions and the availability of electric buses for the movement of pilgrims inside Ayodhya city, among other things.

Politically, the Yogi Adityanath government wants to send a nation-wide message ahead of the general elections that Uttar Pradesh is a well-administered state by ensuring a proper welcome to pilgrims arriving from elsewhere in the country.

The UP government expects at least 100,000 pilgrims every day after the January 22 ceremony and estimates that at least 20 million people will arrive in Ayodhya in the next six months to offer their prayers at the newly built Ram temple. The chief minister on Friday reviewed the preparedness of the administrative machinery so that the crowds are managed in an orderly fashion.


He also sought an action plan to provide the required amenities and facilities that pilgrims will need over the next six months. "It's a challenge as well as an opportunity both for us," said Prashant Kumar, director general, law and order. "We have installed AI-powered CCTV cameras at different points in Ayodhya city. Tight security is in place. All the top police officers, including heads of PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary, traffic), ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad) and intelligence wings are camping in Ayodhya currently."

The government had begun working on the accommodation early. Apart from allotting land to hotels, it has also sought to promote homestays - more than 100 are up and running.

The government has also planned for tent cities and dharamshalas to host pilgrims. Bookings can be made online.

Awadhesh Kumar, a resident of the Raiganj locality, told ET from Ayodhya that he'd taken up the government homestay plan and is booked out for the month. "A team from the tourism department visited my house about six months back and motivated us to renovate the house to start a homestay business," he said. "Our Anupam homestay is ready - we have four rooms. All rooms are booked in January. We charge ₹2,000 per day."

Veeru Tewari has also converted his house into a homestay in the same Raiganj locality. He spent around ₹3.5 lakh to get the two rooms ready and both are booked for the month. Vice chairman of Ayodhya Development Authority Vishal Singh recently posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: "As we prepare for an influx of tourists after the Ram temple launch, we have identified 350 properties for potential homestays. Already, 140 homestays are operational and can be booked online enhancing the visitor experience."

Pavements and roads are being beautified on themes such as Dharm Path, Janm-bhoomi Path, Ram Path and Bhakti Path to promote religious tourism. Apart from this, the green corridors connecting Ayodhya to Lucknow, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur have been developed. The administration will coordinate with the Shree Ram Bhoomi Teerth Kshetra for darshan of the Ram temple.

Varanasi offers a good template for religious tourism. It saw more than 538,000 tourists last year until December 2.