The Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) University in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, has revealed plans to establish a ‘Centre for Studies on Ayodhya’ (CSA). The CSA, being established in the faculty of Arts, will focus on encouraging studies on tracing various dimensions of spiritual, cultural and historical journey of Ayodhya which is developing as a modern tourism centre.

The centre will coordinate with different departments of the university pursuing various research works related to Ayodhya and Lord Ram. Gorakhpur university vice-chancellor Prof Poonam Tandon said, “Our university is an important centre of learning in Purvanchal region surrounded by the birthplace and important places related to great religious, spiritual and historical personalities.” Stating that while Lord Ram’s birthplace Ayodhya is 134 km away, Gautam Buddha’s ‘Parinirvan sthal’ Kushinagar is just 55 km away, his birthplace Lumbini is 122 km away, and Saint Kabir’s Samadhi place is 30 km away. “The upcoming CSA will provide a platform to the students and researchers to study and learn more about the lives of these great personalities and study their contributions,” she said. The CSA will be established in the department of ancient history, archaeology, and culture.

The main objective of this centre is to promote studies on topics related to the transformation of Ayodhya from an ancient city to a modern pilgrimage and tourism site. The course on historicity of Ayodhya will also be offered as an elective course for students of other subjects/disciplines. The course will trace the historical journey of Ayodhya from pre-Vedic period to contemporary days. The course will be run by the department of ancient history, archaeology, and culture, and the department of medieval and modern history.