The decision to rechristen Faizabad district as Ayodhya has not gone down well with many of its residents, who believe it is an "unnecessary step" taken for "political" reasons and will eventually "erase the identity" of the historical town. Another section, however, welcomed the Uttar Pradesh government's move, saying it endorses the legacy of ancient Ayodhya and will enhance its "glory". P K Maurya, a 74-year-old Ayurvedic doctor, gets visibly upset when asked about the renaming move. "What was the need for it?"

It was unnecessary and done with politics in mind. It is the common man who will suffer due to confusion now," he told PTI. Maurya runs a dispensary in a run-down colonial-era building near the 19th century 'Ghanta Ghar' (Clock Tower), with an old board on its facade displaying the address as "Chowk-Faizabad" in Hindi. Many other shops and commercial establishments in the area carry boards with district name labelled as 'Zilla Faizabad'. "I won't change the label of Faizabad on the display board, people have known my dispensary location for decades. I don't want people to get mixed up," said Maurya, a third-generation Ayurvedic doctor in his family. Faizabad city is located about 7 km from its twin town Ayodhya and has a major railway junction. Close on the heels of renaming Allahabad as Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on November 6 announced that Faizabad district would henceforth be known as Ayodhya district.