Ayodhya

American

[uh-yohd-yuh] / əˈyoʊd yə /

Or Ajodhya

noun

a city in E Uttar Pradesh, in N India; a suburb of Faizabad: one of the seven most sacred Hindu centers.

Ayodhya British

/ ɑːɪˈjəʊdjɑː /

noun

Also called: Ayodha. Awadh. Oudh. an ancient town in N India, in Uttar Pradesh state: as the birthplace of Rama it is sacred to Hindus; also a Buddhist centre

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Ayodhya

First recorded in 1830–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the small north Indian city of Ayodhya in 1992, he faced a moment of real peril.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

In 2020 he protested the construction of a temple to the Hindu deity Ram in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

As a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, I saw the beginnings of India’s anti-democratic slide on a sunny day in December 1992, on contested ground in Ayodhya.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2024

Victory was sealed in 2019, when India’s Supreme Court delivered a landmark verdict handing the Ayodhya land to Hindus.

From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2024

The marriage party then continues its journey to Ayodhya.

From Translations of Shakuntala and Other Works by Kalidasa

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023