Religious heritage and pilgrimage routes of Ayodhya: A cognitive informatics perspective

Maps and other cartographic artifacts, such as panoramic drawings, globes, or relief models, are important parts of cognitive informatics. They are a potential resource of information for the historical past. Maps mirror the historical state of informatics knowledge and the state of contemporary ideology. The holy-heritage city Ayodhya (India) is narrated in ancient epics as the birthplace of Bhagavan (Lord) Rama. Based on that it emerged as one of the seven sacred places in India. Situated on the bank of the holy River Sarayu (Ghaghara), Ayodhya is primarily an ancient tirtha (sacredscapes) and salvific place that records settlement continuity since at least 1500 BC. Ayodhya consists of religious-heritage sites of many religions, of course predominantly Hindus, but also of the Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, and even Muslims (including Sufis). The eastern side consists of Sarayu’s waterfront, where the majority of sacred sites exist that are linked to other sacred sites. On the western side exist martyrs and tombs and mausoleums, a tri-gateway, Nawabi period heritage buildings, and gardens. Presently around 1.5 million pilgrims visit Ayodhya every year on various religious occasions. In the frame of spatial and cognitive informatics, the religious landscapes of Ayodhya is discussed in this study with stress to conservation and application of informatics for that..