About a month ago, actor Ranbir Kapoor shelled out Rs 3.31 crore for a 2,134 sq ft plot of land in Ayodhya, right by the banks of the Sarayu river. Before Kapoor, superstar Amitabh Bachchan also bought land in the same project. This raises the question: Why are celebrities investing in land in temple cities like Ayodhya?
Samujjwal Ghosh, CEO, The House of Abhinandan Lodha, shared with ET Wealth Online that iconic locations like the Ram Temple and the riverfront in Ayodhya, the Kashi Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi, and the Banke Bihari Corridor in Vrindavan are transforming not only the pilgrimage experiences but also the quality of living.
Ghosh says that in spiritual cities, land carries both emotional and financial significance, making ownership inherently aspirational.
Ashish Narain Agarwal, Founder and MD, PropertyPistol, said to ET Wealth Online that temple cities are emerging as high-growth real estate destinations due to rapid infrastructure development and rising spiritual tourism.
Agarwal says that cities like Ayodhya, Varanasi and Ujjain are witnessing major investments in airports, highways and hospitality infrastructure, driving appreciation in property prices.
According to Agarwal, celebrities are increasingly investing in these markets as they offer a rare combination of cultural relevance, long-term asset growth and strong tourism-led rental potential.
Vishal Raheja, Founder & Managing Director, InvestoXpert Advisors, says that destinations like Ayodhya and Vrindavan are witnessing rising demand for premium stays, curated experiences and branded housing.
Raheja says: "High-profile investors typically enter markets during the early transformation phase, when infrastructure expansion and visitor growth start reshaping local economies."
Raheja says the appeal to celebrities lies not just in cultural connection, but in the possibility of long-term value creation from emerging lifestyle and tourism ecosystems.
What should individual investors do?
Raheja says that individual investors should avoid investing purely based on celebrity activity and instead focus on the economic fundamentals driving these markets.
Raheja says: "Temple cities with rising hotel occupancy, increasing commercial activity and strong government spending on infrastructure, are likely to create more sustainable real estate demand."
Raheja cautions that investors should also study land supply patterns, future civic development and tourism scalability before committing capital.
Raheja says: "Properties linked to managed rentals, spiritual retreats and mixed-use developments may benefit from evolving consumer preferences, especially as experiential and spiritual travel continues to expand across India."
Agarwal says individual investors should adopt a research-driven approach and focus on cities with strong infrastructure pipelines and rising tourist inflows. Investors should prioritize RERA-registered projects by credible developers and evaluate factors like rental yield, connectivity and future liquidity.
What should homebuyers do?
Raheja says that in the long run, end-user-driven projects are likely to hold stronger value than speculative standalone assets.
Thus Raheja says that homebuyers should evaluate whether temple city real estate aligns with their personal lifestyle goals and long-term financial planning. These destinations are increasingly attracting buyers seeking calmer urban environments, wellness-oriented living and culturally rooted communities.
Raheja says: "Markets like Ayodhya and Varanasi are seeing growing demand for gated developments and integrated communities due to improving connectivity and civic upgrades." However, buyers should prioritise execution quality, infrastructure readiness and occupancy potential over emotional appeal alone.
Agarwal says that homebuyers should evaluate temple city real estate from both a lifestyle and long-term value perspective.
"Buyers should focus on projects with strong location advantage, developer credibility and future infrastructure visibility," says Agarwal.
