Sri Mani Ram Das Chhawni (Chhoti Chhawni)

Sri Mani Ram Das Chhawni — known affectionately across Ayodhya as Chhoti Chhawni — is among the largest and most active Ramanandi (Bairagi) maths in the holy city, and one of its principal spiritual landmarks.

• The word chhawni means "encampment," a term the ascetic Bairagi orders of the Ram tradition traditionally used for their fortified monastic settlements; the prefix chhoti ("smaller") distinguishes it from Ayodhya's other great Bairagi encampment.
• Founded and sustained in the devotional lineage of the saint Mani Ram Das, the math has grown over generations into a vast walled complex of shrines, courtyards, pilgrim halls and sadhu quarters set close to Naya Ghat and the celebrated riverside steps of Ram ki Paidi.
• At its heart the Chhawni is a seat of Ram bhakti in the Ramanandi Vaishnava tradition, whose devotion centres on Bhagwan Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman.
• Beautifully adorned sanctums house the presiding deities, and the daily rhythm of aarti, kirtan and the recitation of the Ramcharitmanas fills the halls with the sound of bells, cymbals and the chant of "Siyavar Ramchandra ki jai." The math is renowned as a living centre of Ramkatha — discourses on the Ramayana delivered by resident sant-mahatmas — and as a residence for several hundred sadhus who pursue study, worship and seva within its precincts.
• Later additions such as the Ramayan Bhavan and a Char Dham shrine complex have made the campus a devotional destination in its own right.
• A defining feature of the Chhawni is its tradition of annadan — the free bhandara (community kitchen) that offers simple, sanctified vegetarian meals to sadhus, pilgrims and the poor, in keeping with the age-old dharma of feeding all who arrive.
• For visitors this is a window into the sattvic food culture of Ayodhya, a strictly vegetarian and alcohol-free pilgrimage town: everything served here is pure-veg prasad, cooked and offered in a spirit of devotion.
• For all travellers, regardless of faith, the Chhawni welcomes respectful observation of its worship.
• Remove footwear before entering the shrine areas, dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, keep phones silent during aarti and discourses, and ask before photographing sadhus or sanctums.
• Combined with a short walk to Ram ki Paidi at dusk, a quiet visit here offers one of the most authentic encounters with Ayodhya's continuous, centuries-old life of Ram devotion.