Ayodhya

Ayodhya in Raayana

कोसलो नाम मुदितः स्फीतो जनपदो महान् |
निविष्ट सरयू तीरे प्रभूत धन धान्यवान् || १-५-५

अयोध्या नाम नगरी तत्र आसीत् लोक विश्रुता |
मनुना मानव इन्द्रेण या पुरी निर्मिता स्वयम् || १-५-६

आयता दश च द्वे च योजनानि महापुरी |
श्रीमती त्रीणि विस्तीर्णा सु विभक्ता महापथा || १-५-७

Translation: A great kingdom named Kosala, a joyous and a vast one well flourishing with monies and cereals, is snugly situated on the riverbanks of Sarayu. A world-renowned city is there in that kingdom, which is personally built by Manu, the foremost ruler of mankind. That glorious city with well-devised highways is twelve yojana-s lengthwise and three yojana-s breadth wise.

वधू नाटक सन्घैः च संयुक्ताम् सर्वतः पुरीम् |
उद्यान आम्र वणोपेताम् महतीम् साल मेखलाम् || १-५-१२

Translation: That city Ayodhya accommodates groups of danseuses and theatrical personnel, and she is surrounded everywhere with the gardens and brakes of mango trees, and her wide fort-wall is like her cincture ornament.

Analysis and Notes:

City Dimensions: 12 X 3 Yojanas

Conversion – Yojanas to Miles: 1 Yojana = 8 Miles Appx.

As such it would make more sense to assume that Ayodhya stretched 96 miles along the banks of Sarayu river and 36 miles north to south, as marked in red outline in the picture below. The total area could be about 3,500 sq. mi. White circle could be the main city where King Dasarath’s palace and surrounding area.

Comparing it to the one of modern time metro areas, the size of the city looks reasonable. For example, Tokyo main city has an area of 845 sq. mi and extended metro: 5,240 sq. mi (Source: Wikipedia). In comparison, Ayodhya is about 60-70% of the Tokyo metro area