Ayodhya is situated on the right bank of river Saryu ( Ghagra) on in Uttar Pradesh of northern India. Just 6 kms. from Faizabad, Ayodhya  is  a  popular   pilgrim centre. This town is the birth place of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Ghats (riverfront - steps leading to the river) along the river were used by people for bathing, an important ritual of Hindu religious activities.

More than a hundred years ago the course of the "holy" river Sarayu (Ghagra) shifted away from the ghat edge of Ayodhya town. Over time, the ghats  were completely buried in silt and  their existence was almost forgotten and a significant component of the historic town was lost. The ritual of bathing in the river moved away from the traditional edge of the town to the new flow of the river. The old bed became a peripheral vacant land between the old town and the new alignment of the river.. Haphazard growth of vegetation and stray man made structures encroached upon this uncared- for stretch of land. Modern services like sewerage and electricity found easy access through this area, skirting around the dense fabric of the small old town. The old river front was thus, further cut off from the actual river flow.

This project was successful in renovating and rejuvenating old 'ghats' (riverfront). The project  received full support of the people of the town.