For Vinay Shukla, 52, the visit to Ayodhya in the second week of March wasn’t as pleasant as he had expected. A resident of Satna in Madhya Pradesh and ardent devotee of Lord Ram, he feels he was overcharged by a local guide he hired through the hotel staff for the Ram Temple visit.
“I was told about the special darshan of Ram Lalla and paid ₹2,000 each for five people, but later got to know that there was no arrangement for special darshan by paying a fee,” said Mr. Shukla, who says he was fleeced as he was new to the pilgrim city.
Mr. Shukla is not alone. With the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya witnessing an average footfall of 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh pilgrims daily after the consecration ceremony on January 22, the city’s infrastructure and tourism ecosystem is still playing catch up. “There is huge rush, people from adjoining districts are a bit aware of the city, but outsiders face some difficulties as a few locals try to take advantage,” says Rahul Pandey of Ayodhya Tour Guide Service.
