Ayodhya museum gets major expansion boost; Tata Sons to lead 52-acre project

The museum is anticipated to ease tourist concentration around the temple and extend visitor engagement beyond the shrine.

The Uttar Pradesh government, on Tuesday, cleared a major expansion of the upcoming temple museum in Ayodhya, allowing Tata Sons to develop and operate the project across a 52-acre site. The latest move is part of the state’s broader push to position Ayodhya as a global hub of culture, heritage, and spiritual tourism.

After a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said Tata Sons would execute the project through a not-for-profit Section 8 SPV with representatives from the Union government, the state government, and Tata Sons.

The museum was initially planned on 25 acres of nazul land in Manjha Jamthara village, but Tata Sons sought more space for an expanded design. The cabinet has now approved the transfer of an additional 27.102 acres, free of cost, from the Housing and Urban Planning Department to the Tourism Department, taking the total project area to 52.102 acres.

In September 2024, a tripartite MoU between the Union Culture Ministry, UP Tourism, and Tata Sons was signed to formalise land allocation and operational roles.

Envisioned as a world-class cultural institution, the museum will showcase Ayodhya’s civilisational heritage through galleries on temple architecture, archaeology, Ram Katha traditions, and the city's historical evolution. Plans include immersive digital exhibits, multimedia storytelling, research and archival facilities, auditoriums, landscaped zones, sculpture parks, and spaces for cultural events.

Calling the approval a “key milestone”, Khanna said the museum would enable visitors to engage with Ayodhya’s layered history in a contemporary format.

Tourist footfall in Ayodhya has surged since the Ram Temple’s Pran Pratishtha in January 2024, with 2-4 lakh visitors arriving daily. The museum is anticipated to ease tourist concentration around the temple and extend visitor engagement beyond the shrine.

The state government said Tata Sons’ involvement would ensure strong design capability, high-quality execution, and institutional continuity. The SPV model also guarantees non-commercial, CSR-backed management.

The cabinet also cleared several other proposals, including major drinking water projects in Kanpur and Bareilly, new policy support for state-backed athletes competing internationally, and the rollout of Divyang Rehabilitation Centres across all administrative divisions.

With the cabinet’s green light, the temple museum now enters the implementation stage and is expected to become one of India’s most significant cultural landmarks within Ayodhya’s rapidly growing tourism ecosystem.