Eastern Uttar Pradesh Complete Guide 2026: Ayodhya, Kushinagar, Gorakhpur, Sarnath, Prayagraj
Browse more guides: India travel | Asia destinations TL;DR Eastern Uttar Pradesh, the Purvanchal belt, holds 32 districts and 75 million people across Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Azamgarh, Mau, and Deoria. I came for the Ram Mandir (consecrated January 22, 2024), Kushinagar (Buddha parinirvana 483 BCE), Gita Press in Gorakhpur, Sarnath, and BHU. Budget USD 35-100 a day, October to March, e-visa USD 25. Why Visit Eastern Uttar Pradesh in 2026 I planned this trip in three layers. First, the Ayodhya Ram Mandir, where the Pran Pratishtha on January 22, 2024 placed a black-stone Ram Lalla idol carved by Bengaluru sculptor Arun Yogiraj inside a 161-foot, 70-acre complex with 392 carved pillars. Second, Kushinagar, where the Buddha passed into parinirvana in 483 BCE, one of the eight Mahasthana of his life. Third, Gorakhpur's Gita Press, founded in 1923 by Hanuman Prasad Poddar, which has printed close to 900 million Hindu scripture copies in Hindi and Sanskr...