As Ram, Laxman, and Sita walk into the forest in exile, the 3D lights start to dim. When Ravan kidnaps Sita, the lights ripple in warning. And when she is rescued, they shimmer in celebration. The crowd, entranced by the 3D light-and-sound show at Ram Ki Paidi ghat, along the banks of Saryu River in Ayodhya, claps and cheers. Devotees used to come here to take a dip in the waters. Now, the place is teeming with young men and women sitting in the open-air arena along the river banks, munching on popcorn and veggie burgers, and taking selfies while the Ramayana unfolds in the background.

This is Ayodhya reimagined, rebooted, and rebuilt as a modern-day 21st-century temple town with wide roads, orange houses, multi-level parking, Wi-Fi hot-spots, lakefront cafes, an international airport, electric buses, luxury hotels, homestays, and 3D sound and light shows. For Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Ayodhya is “emerging as the epitome of New India”, a city dedicated to Ram as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And thousands of labourers, contractors, supervisors, and painters are working in shifts all through the night at a frenetic pace to make this a reality, as reported by thePrint.

Massive cranes are hauling bricks, workers are cementing roads, and proprietors are painting ‘Jai Shree Ram’, Hanuman, and the swastikas on their shop fronts. The entire state machinery, from Yogi Adityanath to the youngest priest, is counting down the days until the grand opening of the Ram Mandir on 22 January 2024.

Most of the buildings and shops have been painted orange. Sprawling ‘tent cities’ with air-conditioning have risen to host the lakhs of visitors expected for the consecration ceremony. Hotels like the Radisson are fully booked, and there’s talk of two Taj hotels coming up. The price of stay at the Radisson has skyrocketed to as much as Rs 50,000 per night.

Ayodhya is poised to become India’s newest pilgrim spot not just for seers, sadhus, and saints, but for an Instagram-loving Gen Z as well.