Janki Ghat Bada Sthan

Janki Ghat Bada Sthan is one of Ayodhya's most venerable Ramanandi temple-ashrams, a sprawling devotional complex set close to the Sarayu on Ram Road, a short walk from Ramghat.

• Dedicated to Sita-Rama (Janki is a name of Sita, Janaka's daughter), it belongs to the Ramanandi Vaishnava tradition that has shaped Ayodhya's spiritual life for centuries — an order of sadhus and rasik devotees who worship Rama and Sita as the divine couple and immerse themselves in constant remembrance of the Ram-naam.
• The "Bada Sthan" (great seat) in its name signals its standing as a principal centre of this lineage, distinct from the several smaller Janki Ghat maths that cluster nearby.
• What draws pilgrims above all is the akhand Ram-naam sankirtan — the unbroken chanting of "Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram" that is kept up here around the clock, often carried on in relays by resident sadhus and visiting devotees so that the sacred sound never lapses.
• The atmosphere inside is serene and absorbing: soft bells, the steady drone of the naam, tulsi garlands, and the murmured prayers of an ever-present congregation.
• The main shrine houses beautifully adorned murtis of Sita and Rama, dressed and decorated with the tender, intimate devotion characteristic of the rasik Ramananda school, and the temple observes the great festivals of the Ayodhya calendar — Rama Navami, Vivah Panchami (marking the marriage of Sita and Rama), Janaki Navami and Kartik Purnima — with special fervour.
• The ashram is equally renowned for its seva.
• It runs a large, open free bhandara (community kitchen) that feeds pilgrims, sadhus and the needy day after day, in the old Ayodhya spirit of annadaan, and it maintains a dharamshala offering simple lodging to travellers on pilgrimage.
• All food here is strictly pure vegetarian and satvik, in keeping with the temple's discipline and with Ayodhya's character as a holy vegetarian city.
• For all visitors regardless of faith, the temple is welcoming and quietly moving.
• The simple courtesies apply: remove footwear before entering, dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, keep voices low near the sanctum, and ask before photographing during worship.
• Combined with nearby Ram Ki Paidi, Kanak Bhawan and the Sarayu ghats, Janki Ghat Bada Sthan makes a peaceful, deeply devotional stop that shows Ayodhya's living tradition of continuous prayer and open-handed hospitality.