Ayodhya is special.
It is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram,
one of Hindus most revered deities.
Medieval kings - both Hindus and Muslims –
built temples in the holy city,
attracting millions of pilgrims, each year.
While the prominent ones got a facelift in 2017,
many temples are falling apart.
So we are in the middle of this temple town
and believe me it’s not at all as glamorous,
as glitzy as it looks from outside.
What we find are crumbling structures,
mostly temples, these narrow lanes
full of filth and structures like these,
almost 150 years old,
used to be a religious, cultural activity hub.
But all that is left now is this.
There's a lot of space inside.
So how many live here now?
It's just the three of us.
Home to at least 6,000 temples,
pilgrims kept this tiny city going for centuries.
Now all eyes are on an ambitious new building
dedicated to Lord Ram, the Ram temple.
Almost a billion dollars have already been
donated but other temples are being neglected.
Ayodhya has seen a long dispute between Hindus and Muslims
over the site of the proposed temple.
Hindu mobs demolished a medieval mosque here in 1992,
saying it was built on the ruins of a temple for Lord Ram.
India’s ruling BJP party has led a campaign
for a new Ram Temple ever since.
In 2019 the Supreme Court ruled that
Hindus could construct a new temple as long as
land for a mosque was provided elsewhere.
Every second building in Ayodhya is home to a temple or a shrine.
They have seen generations of families come and go.
Thirty-three year old Suman is one of the few female priests in this town.
While the ruling BJP is showcasing Ayodhya as a model city,
authorities have declared many temples unsafe.
Some will have to be demolished as part
of the government’s beautification drive.
Some residents will benefit from renovation work.
But thousands of locals are financially dependent on the city’s temples and shrines.
Their future is uncertain.