Anup Gupta, owner of Ram & Shyam Hotel at Hanumangarhi, says even neighbouring districts are benefitting from devotees thronging the newly-built Ram Temple
With the grand ceremony at Ayodhya Ram Temple, our city has suddenly found its place in the sun. On the day of Pran Prathishtha (consecration), the Ram Temple recorded over 3 to 4 lakh people who lined up for a drashan and the next day, this figure swelled to over 7 lakh. The role of the police and administration deserves a salute as they managed the crowd very well. Ever since the stream of visitors to Ayodhya has not stopped. It seems, every Hindu wants to have a glimpse of Ram Lalla.
Naturally, this has meant good business for the Ayodhya residents. Be it the sale of flowers or other puja ware (like ladoos etc to be offered as Prasad) or food and other daily-use items, the demand has increased manifold. Souvenir items such as precious stones, posters, statues, etc have also shot up drastically, benefitting one and all – the suppliers to small sellers, everyone.
According to rough estimates, as reported in the local media, the sales of flowers and ladoos touched a whooping ₹4 crore a day since January 22. And since Ayodhya cannot meet this surge in demand, most items are being sourced from neighboring districts. So, even surrounding districts are also benefitting from the rush of devotees.
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The demand for hotel rooms has also increased to a record high. Hotel occupancy is 100 per cent and booked for months in advance. There are visitors who flocked into Ayodhya well in advance (before January 22). Such was the rush that all roads leading to Ayodhya had to be closed and no fresh batch of devotees was allowed inside for the next few days after January 22.
Once the rail, road and air connectivity to Ayodhya comes into service, the rush of visitors is only going to scale new heights. Already, many big hotels groups have bought land to set up five-star facilities here and there are more queuing up to set up all kind of stay options, from budget to luxury, to serve tourists.
Ayodhya citizens will also benefit from this never-ending influx of devotees. They will start services of paying guests, rented accommodation in their dwellings or start up tourist-friendly business like eateries or souvenir shops. You name a business, and you will find it expanding and leaping forward from January onwards. This year 2024 has been a landmark in the history of Ayodhya denizens.
Once the temple is complete (which is expected to happen in the next two years or so), you will not find a place to stay in and around 30 km of the city. Real estate prices are already skyrocketing. Ayodhya, as it is truly said, is set to surpass Mecca and the Vatican in the near future.
As told to Rajat Rai
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