Ayodhya division, formerly and colloquially known as Faizabad division, is one of the 18 administrative geographical units (i.e. division) of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya city is the administrative headquarters of the division. The government of Uttar Pradesh approved the renaming of the Faizabad division to Ayodhya division in November 2018.
The division currently consists of the following 5 districts:-
Ayodhya (Hindi: Ayodhyā, pronounced [ɐˈjoːdʱjɐː] ) is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became the top tourist destination of Uttar Pradesh with 110 million visitors in the first half of 2024, surpassing Varanasi.
The settlement was historically known as Sāketa until it was renamed to Ayodhya during the Gupta period. The early Buddhist and Jain canonical texts mention that the religious leaders Gautama Buddha and Mahavira visited and lived in the city. The Jain texts also describe it as the birthplace of five tirthankaras namely, Rishabhanatha, Ajitanatha, Abhinandananatha, Sumatinatha and Anantanatha, and associate it with the legendary Bharata Chakravarti. From the Gupta period onwards, several sources mention Ayodhya and Saketa as the name of the same city.
Amethi district is a district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district is a part of Ayodhya division in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh. It covers an area of 2,329.11 km. Gauriganj is the administrative headquarters of the district.It is widely known for its association with the Nehru-Gandhi political family since 1980. Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi (former Prime Minister), sons of Indira Gandhi, as well as Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, have, at different times, represented this constituency.. However, this changed in 2019 when Rahul was defeated in the Lok Sabha elections by Smriti Irani of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Irani was defeated in 2024 by Kishori Lal Sharma of the Indian National Congress.
Sultanpur district is a district in the Awadh region of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district is a part of Ayodhya division of the state. The administrative headquarters of the district is Sultanpur city. The total area of Sultanpur district is 2672.89 Sq. km.
As of 2011, Sultanpur district has a population of 2,249,036 people.
Ambedkar Nagar district is one of the 75 districts of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district is a part of Ayodhya division in the Awadh region of the state. This district was established on 29 September 1995 by carving out parts of the erstwhile Faizabad district (now Ayodhya district). It was created by the then Chief Minister Mayawati and named in memory of B. R. Ambedkar, who worked for the advancement of the depressed classes. The total area of Ambedkar Nagar district is 2350 Sq. Km.
Barabanki district is one of the five districts of Ayodhya division in the central Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, India. Barabanki city is the administrative headquarters of Barabanki district. Total area of Barabanki district is 3891.5 Sq. km. It borders seven other districts of Uttar Pradesh. With its most northern point it shares borders with the Sitapur district, while its north-eastern boundary is defined by the Ghagra, beyond which lie the districts of Bahraich district and Gonda district. Its eastern border is shared with Ayodhya district, and the Gomti forms a natural boundary to the south, dividing it from the Amethi district. On the west, it adjoins the Lucknow district.
It has a population of 2,673,581, with a population density of 686.50 per square kilometre (1,778.0/sq mi).