LUCKNOW, March 21 -- Stating that Ayodhya is not just a city but a source of inspiration for religion and literature, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said the temple town is the base of Sanatan Dharma in India.

"Ayodhya is the first 'Puri' (holy pilgrimage site) among the 'Sapta Puri' (seven such sites). It is the land that inspired Sanatan Dharma," Yogi added. Speaking at the Timeless Ayodhya: Literature and Arts Festival in Ayodhya, he also shared the memory of his first visit to Ayodhya as CM.

"There was a huge section in the bureaucracy then that used to say that visiting Ayodhya as a CM would lead to controversy. I said that let a controversy take place if it has to. But we need to think about Ayodhya. Then, ...