The temple built to honour Ram Lalla is a matter of faith; but architect Vipul B Varshney—who designed the Ayodhya airport to facilitate the influx of expected devotees—hopes the smaller temples and ghats she studied to match the airport’s aesthetic are not overlooked.

Based out of Lucknow, Varshney heads the firm that designed the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport that was inaugurated on December 30, 2023. Her three-year endeavour involved studying the iconography on the ghats, shrines and 60 other spiritual sites, including those on the rivers around the city, so that the modern structure would be in line with the aesthetics of the ancient ones. This labour has been poured into the book, Ayodhya: A walk through the living heritage, that was launched at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) this week.