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Ayodhya signifies a great importance in the Buddhist literature. It is referred to as Saketa in traditional Buddhist literature. British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham who was also the first director general of the ASI identified three Buddhist places — Mani Parbat, Kuber Parbat and Sugriv Parbat at the site of Ayodhya. [citation needed]
The word "Ayodhya" is a regularly formed derivation of the Sanskrit verb yudh, "to fight, or wage war". [22] Yodhya is the future passive participle, meaning "to be fought"; the initial a is the negative prefix; the whole, therefore, means "not to be fought" or, more idiomatically in English, "invincible". [23]
The Gupta-era texts, such as Kalidasa's Raghuvamsha and the Brahmanda Purana use "Ayodhya" as another name for Saketa, which was the ancient name of present-day Ayodhya. This identification also occurs in the later Sanskrit texts, including Hemachandra 's Abhidhana-Chintamani and Yashodhara's commentary on Kamasutra .
According to the Puranas and the Ramayana epic, Ayodhya was the capital of Kosala during the reign of Ikshvaku and his descendants. [15] Shravasti is recorded as the capital of Kosala during the Mahajanapada period (6th–5th centuries BCE), [ 16 ] but post-Maurya (2nd–1st centuries BCE) kings issued their coins from Ayodhya.
Cunnigham identified Ayodhya with Sha-chi mentioned in Fa-Hien's writings, Visakha mentioned in Xuanzang's writings and Saketa mentioned in Buddhist legends. According to him, Gautama Buddha spent six years at this place. Although Ayodhya is mentioned in several ancient Hindu texts, Cunningham found no ancient structures in the city.
Coin of ruler Muladeva, minted in Ayodhya, Kosala. Obv: Muladevasa, elephant to left facing symbol. Rev: Wreath, above symbol, below snake. The Deva dynasty of Saketa, was a dynasty of kings who ruled in the area of the city of Ayodhya, Kosala, in India from the 2nd century BCE until the end of 1st century BCE. [1] [2]
It further states that while residing at Ayodhya, Ayushchandra constructed "thousands of wells, tanks, rest-houses and ponds" in Saketa-mandala (the province of Ayodhya). According to Kishore Kunal, this verse proves that Ayodhya had "many grand temples" before the Muslim conquest. [30] Verse 25 states that damsels sang praises of Ayushchandra ...
The Ayodhya Mahatmya, described as a "pilgrimage manual" of Ayodhya, [33] [34] traced the growth of the sect in the second millennium CE. The original recension of the text, dated to the period between 11th and 14th centuries, [ 35 ] mentions the janmasthana (birthplace) as a pilgrimage site. [ 36 ]