AJODHYA, an ancient city of India, situated on the right bank of the Gogra, in the Fyzabad district of the United Prov inces. In remote antiquity Ajodhya was one of the largest and most magnificent of Indian cities. It is said to have covered an area of 96 sq.m., and was the capital of the kingdom of Kosala, the court of the great king Dasaratha, who was the father of Rama, the hero of the Ramayana. The opening passages of that epic recount the magnificence of the city, the glories of the mon arch and the virtues, wealth and loyalty of his people. A period of Buddhist supremacy followed the death of the last king of the Solar dynasty. On the revival of Brahmanism, Ajodhya was re stored by King Vikramaditya (c. 57 B.c.) . Kosala has claims to be the birthplace of the founders of both Buddhism and Jainism. The Chinese traveller, Hsiian Tsang, in the 7th century, found 20 Buddhist temples with 3,00o monks at Ajodhya among a large Brahmanical population. The ancient city is now represented by a heap of ruins, with a few fine temples, and the modern town is only a small suburb of Fyzabad.