One Feb evening in 2018 my friend Anuradha over a cup of coffee suddenly said "lets visit Ayodhya"!! I pray to Bhagawan but I avoid too many temple visits because of the crowds and a physical condition which doesnt allow me to stand for long hours..
I said "dekhenge" but the

husbands too got enthusiastic and thus the four of us booked r tkts and were on a journey to Ayodhya..we went to Delhi n then an overnight train to Faisabad..thru our contacts we stayed in one of the ashrams..we soon set out to see "Ram Lalla"
When we went there we saw a whole

lot of ruins &too much security. Timings were for only a few hours during the day and the crowd was https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤷🏻‍♂️" title="Man shrugging (light skin tone)" aria-label="Emoji: Man shrugging (light skin tone)">
We were not allowed to carry even a pen or keys..forget the rest of r belongings..there were numerous small counters with lockers where 1 could keep their belongings..women

were allowed to carry wallets but only if it contained money..no keys no pens..mobiles tho unthinkable!! Most important no water bottles either..after a thorough physical search at 3 points we finally started walking..thru ruins..at some point it seemed to me like a zoo..only

difference was we were walking in a barricaded barbed pathway like a jail & monkeys,peacock &deer were out in the open!!https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Face with tears of joy" aria-label="Emoji: Face with tears of joy">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Face with tears of joy" aria-label="Emoji: Face with tears of joy">
At every 300 metre there were security personnel with water incase we were thirsty..the entire 2/2.5 km stretch had the crpf n police entrenched...in all

on a daily basis some 2k security is usually on duty there is what we learnt later..so like everyone else who were chanting "Jai Sri Ram" we too kept chanting n walking n lo n behold..suddenly there was a tarpaulin laid shed..reasonably illuminated..and on a wooden bench we saw

Murti of Ram ji kept..https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😟" title="Worried face" aria-label="Emoji: Worried face">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🥺" title="Pleading face" aria-label="Emoji: Pleading face">
We could hardly stand there for a minute before the security started shooing..my husband almost missed it because he was looking ahead n walking &this shed was on the right side of the barricade.. I normally dont get emotional but I was almost in tears

that day..it pained me that the sentiments of the majority of this country had no value &there was so much of diabolical politics played out..we got an opportunity to meet the locals during the course of lunch and chai n most were waiting patiently

ki kab Ayodhya mein ek Bhavya Ram Mandir banega..locals were proud and most wanted to take ownership of making it a wonderful teerth sthaan once the mandir came..
I somehow felt it was destiny that took me there because unwittingly I prayed that I wanted to come back to see

the mandir once its built..
The idol that was kept there was so small and hardly visible clearly from a distance of perhaps 50 metres..https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤷🏻‍♂️" title="Man shrugging (light skin tone)" aria-label="Emoji: Man shrugging (light skin tone)">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🥺" title="Pleading face" aria-label="Emoji: Pleading face">
On the occasion of Rama Navami...my husband n I were reminiscing about our visit to Ayodhya..thus wrote this thread!!
Jai Shree Ram https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙏🏻" title="Folded hands (light skin tone)" aria-label="Emoji: Folded hands (light skin tone)">