Raja Dashrath Samadhi Sthal (Bilharghat)

Raja Dashrath Samadhi Sthal is the traditionally venerated spot where devotees believe the last rites of King Dasharatha — the beloved Ikshvaku ruler of Ayodhya and father of Lord Rama — were performed.

• It stands at Bilharghat (also written Bilvahari Ghat) on the bank of the Saryu, near Pura Bazar, roughly 15 kilometres out of the temple town along Harlalka Road.
• Ramayana tradition holds that a cremation ground befitting a king was sought at a respectful distance from the capital, and the quiet riverside stretch discovered here became the sanctified site of his final journey.
• For pilgrims following the story of the Ramayana across the Ayodhya landscape, reaching this memorial is a moment of gentle reflection on Dasharatha's grief-stricken passing and the dharma of his sons.
• The modest complex is cared for by a resident mahant and preserves a cluster of deeply revered relics.
• Devotees come to offer respects at the charan-paduka (sacred footprint impressions) associated with the four royal brothers — Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna — and at the footprints attributed to Guru Vashishtha, the family preceptor.
• A Pind Vedi (a raised platform for ancestral pind-daan offerings) anchors the site's role as a place of shraaddha and remembrance, and murtis of King Dasharatha, Bharata, Shatrughna and Guru Vashishtha are enshrined for darshan.
• Local lore also points to old ceremonial implements kept here that are said to have stayed remarkably untarnished over the years — the kind of storied detail that lends the place its air of hushed antiquity.
• Once quiet and little-visited, the sthal has in recent years received renovation and pilgrim facilities, including a dharamshala for those who make the journey out from the city.
• The setting is rural and unhurried: fields, the wide slow Saryu, and the soft sound of temple bells rather than crowds.
• Because Bilharghat lies well outside Ayodhya's temple core, carry water and eat before you set out.
• Ayodhya itself is a strictly vegetarian holy city — the celebrated free Ram Rasoi and roadside bhandaras serve pure-veg meals, and the bazaar lanes brim with kachori-sabzi, dahi-jalebi and fresh peda.
• Out along the Pura Bazar route the options thin to simple dhabas, so pure-veg travellers do best to fuel up in town and treat this as a serene half-day pilgrimage loop combined with other Saryu-side stops.