Once upon a time, this entire earth belonged to those kings who were victorious, starting from Vaivaswata Manu, a lord of all created beings. Among them was one king, who was known as Sagara, by whom oceans were dug deep and expanded, around whom sixty thousand sons encircled when going to a battlefield. (and he is from Ikshwaku dynasty)  In Ikshwaku dynasty, wherein all those great Kings were born, great souls they were indeed, this sublime epic is born and came to be known as Ramayana. Of that epic Ramayana and all about it from the beginning until end, without leaving anything, I wish to render. The epic, which contains the ways and means for virtuous living, gain of wealth and fulfilment of desires, may be listened by everyone leaving their inhibitions and reservations. The kingdom named Kosala, a very vast and magnificent country with its cheerful people is located on the banks of Sarayu river, flourishing well with abundant wealth of moneys and cereals. In Kosala kingdom was located, the city named Ayodhya, well known all around the world. Manu, the first Emperor of humans, and who was like Indra, the Lord of Heavens, built this city himself.

The great city of Ayodhya was a glorious one with a well organized system of wide highways. It was twelve yojanaas long and three yojanas wide. That city Ayodhya was shone by great, well planned royal highways which were always decorated with sprinkled flowers and kept wet with water so that dust would not rise up. Like Indra, the lord of celestials who made Heaven as his abode, a great king named Dasaratha, who developed a vast kingdom, made the city of Ayodhya his capital. That capital city Ayodhya had arched gateways with splendid doors. She had markets with well laid out interiors. She also had all required weaponry and machinery, along with various craftsmen such as artisans, artists and sculptors etc . That city Ayodhya was crowded with many bards and panegyrists. She was highly splendorous with all kinds of riches, very high bastions and flags of victory on the fortification, and with hundreds of batteries of cannons. The city contained many theatrical groups of women (actresses / dancing girls) and actors. She has many gardens and vast orchards of mango trees with the fort-wall itself being her waist ornament. She was unapproachable to her enemies with wide and deep moats filled with water all around the city, and impenetrable for trespassers, and impossible to occupy for evil-minded invaders. She had abundant horses, elephants, camels, cows and donkeys.

Ayodhya is very lustrous with many groups of provincial kings who gather there to pay back their dues and tradesmen from different countries who move about freely in the city. Ayodhya is filled with buildings studded with diamonds, and also has multi-storied buildings and play mountains too. The city is like heavenly Amaravati, the capital of Indra, Lord of Heavens. It is a picturesque city in its planning to look like an eight faced game-board called ashtapadi, with groups of most beautiful womenfolk moving thereabout, in their varied costumes. All kinds of invaluable gems, grouped as per their kind and put on street-side in heaps for sale and their glitter is enriching the city's opulence. The rooftops [vimana] of seven-storied buildings touching the skies, is a sight to be seen. The housing is very dense and there is no unutilized place or ground. All houses are constructed on even lands. Food grains, cereals are plentiful and the drinking water tastes like the juice of sugar cane. The city always sounded melodious with the beats of great drums placed on the castle walls and at central places to drum the times of the day or night, or the arrivals of the noblemen or to keep the sentry whistles. As well, the melodious tunes from string instruments like Veena or rhythmic instrument mridanga and from various other instruments are always audible. Thus, this city was the best in the world. The ascetics and the hermits attain heavens after their long unperturbed meditation and penance on this earth. There their abodes are heavenly spacestations, as such they are superior in comparison to earth dwellings. But Ayodya's housing is well planned and constructed just like the heavenly spacestations [Vimana ]  and full with best among men.

This city is full of skilful archers and with their dextrous hands they will not kill a lone one who is alone, one that does not have either a predecessor or a successor in his family, a fleeing one, or by listening to the sound of the target [sono-archery]. The roaring lions, tigers and wild boars fattened for a kill, will be killed by the might of the warriors by their sharp weaponry or with their mighty arms alone. The people of Ayodhya are thus benevolent and courageous, as well. That city Ayodhya, which is flooded with great and efficient warriors and heroes as described above, is made his dwelling place, by King Dasaratha. Vedic scholars who are virtuous ones, and who are always with their ritual fires encompass Ayodhya. They are scholars in all four Vedas and in their ancillary subjects. There are great souls who donate thousands and take delight in truthfulness. There are also people who are equal to saints and the sages themselves also live there. Thus the population of Ayodhya includes scholars, heroes, donors, traders and all of them are virtuous people. Hence, King Dasaratha made that city as his capital to rule his vast kingdom, named Kosala.
 

Thus this is the fifth chapter in Bala Kanda [Book I] of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic of India.