Editing Ayodhya (section)

=== Mughal period ===
[[File:Ayodhya seen from the river Ghaghara, Uttar Pradesh. Coloure Wellcome V0050436.jpg|thumb|right|Ayodhya in 1785 as seen from river [[Ghaghara]]; painting by [[William Hodges]]. It depicts the Svargadvar Ghat. A mosque of Aurangzeb period in the background.<ref>{{harvnb|Kunal, Ayodhya Revisited|2016|pp=439–440}}: "It is remarkable to note that William Hodges, R.A., who visited Fyzabad and Ayodhya in 1783, made the well known painting of the bank with Svargadvāri mosque."</ref>]]

Under [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] rule, the [[Babri mosque]] was constructed in Ayodhya. The city was the capital of the province of [[Awadh]] (mispronounced as "Oudh" by the British), which is also believed to be a variant of the name "Ayodhya".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Service |first=Tribune News |title=Awadh Archives in Ayodhya |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/awadh-archives-in-ayodhya-140592 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831075415/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/awadh-archives-in-ayodhya-140592 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |access-date=31 August 2021 |website=Tribuneindia News Service |language=en}}</ref>

After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 AD, the central Muslim rule weakened, and Awadh became virtually independent, with Ayodhya as its capital. However, the rulers became increasingly dependent on the local Hindu nobles, and control over the temples and pilgrimage centres was relaxed.{{sfn|Bakker, Ayodhya: A Hindu Jerusalem|1991}}{{better source needed|date=August 2020}}

[[File:United Provinces 1903.gif|thumb|right|[[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh]], showing 'Ajodhia', 1903 map]]