Tracing the Buddhist and Jain Antiquity of Ayodhya

This paper re-examines the early presence of Buddhism and Jainism in Ayodhya, traditionally viewed through a predominantly Brahmanical lens, and reconstructs its multi-religious past from the 7th century BCE to the early medieval period. The study aims to identify and interpret archaeological, textual, and art-historical evidence attesting to Ayodhya’s role as a vibrant centre of both traditions. Drawing upon excavation reports by Cunningham, B. B. Lal, and B. R. Mani, canonical Pali and Jain texts, medieval tirtha accounts, and museum collections, it adopts an interdisciplinary methodology that integrates stratigraphic, iconographic, and literary analysis. The paper argues that the Buddhist and Jain antiquity of Ayodhya has been historically underrepresented and calls for renewed scholarly attention to its early sacred landscape.