'If you want a room for the consecration then you better book it now.'
'By this time next week there won't be any hotel rooms available in the temple city.'
The Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration takes place on January 22, 2024.
And two months ahead of the temple ceremony, to be presided over by Prime Minister Narendra D Modi, hotel rooms are flying off the shelves, literally.
Many online sites report non-availability of rooms on dates around the consecration, and some display a message to contact the hotel for rooms.
Hotels offer rooms offline at twice the rates shown online. A regular double room costs around Rs 4,500, and can go up to Rs 20,000 depending on the room type, distance of the hotel from the Ram temple and the amenities offered.
"If you want a room for the consecration then you better book it now. By this time next week there won't be any hotel rooms available in the temple city," says a hotel owner.
For five-star hotels and such, the tariff ranges from Rs 20,000 Rs 55,000 for two people for two nights.
To reach Ayodhya by air you have to fly to either Lucknow or Gorakhpur and then travel by road for around three hours.
Airfares to Ayodhya are also heading north. Return tickets for two from Chennai start at Rs 30,000 while the business class traveler has to pay three times the amount. So the common man from Chennai will easily spend around Rs 40,000 on travel and stay for two to attend the opening of the shrine, while the rich man will spend around Rs 1.5 lakh for two tickets.
Mumbai-Lucknow economy return tickets cost around Rs 11,000 while business class tickets are priced at Rs 62,000 return for one person.
Kolkata-Lucknow return airfare is Rs 11,000 per person while business class tickets are priced at Rs 83,000.
Delhi has the cheapest airfares at Rs 6,000 for a return economy class ticket and Rs 27,000 return airfare in the business class.
Trains to Ayodhya are available, but only for those who have booked well in advance. Indian Railways is expected to run specials too closer to the consecration date.
