Sri Vadiraja Tirtha is a great saint of Udupi, Karnataka who has written a travelogue of pilgrim centers of his time across Bharat. He names his work Tirtha Prabandha, in poetical Samskrita. He has covered most of Yatra places. beginning Udupi, Himalayan region and the entire country. The Swamiji lived during 1480-1600 a life of 120 years. He is a noted scholar, poet, dialectician and author of several Madhva texts.
Teertha Prabandha is divided into 4 chapters,( in 235 slokas), Pashchima, Uttara, Purva, Dakshina Prabandhas. His visit to the City of Ayodhya is recorded in only 1 Verse of Uttara Prabandha;
अयोध्या रमदयिता भाति साध्वी वधूरिव |
वनं गतस्यापि तस्य पादुके या अकरोत् पतिम् ||
- The City of Ayodhya, dear to Sri Rama, stands here like a devout wife, keeping and respecting the sandals of her husband, while he has gone to forest.
While there is no further description, unlike other Kshetras he visited, we can only say that the city was not in good shape or glory during later 16th century. However, it is not clear who was ruling the region during the Saint's visit. The reader can only guess that Ayodhya was no more a glorious city of earlier times.
Sri Vadiraja Gurucharitamritam says about the incident:
पुनः संचरणाsसक्तो गतोयोध्या पुरीं मुनिः |
तत्रत्य हनुमत् तक्ष प्रतिमा रौप पीठकम् ||
- The great Yogi wanted to visit Ayodhya during his tour, He procured Idols of Hanuman and Garuda to Udupi on his return. We can see these 2 idols in the inner premise of Krishna temple, Udupi.
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