Heo Hwang-ok Memorial

This memorial park in Ayodhya honours Heo Hwang-ok, or Queen Huh Hwang-ok, a legendary princess of Ayodhya who is said to have sailed to Korea and married King Kim Suro of the Karak clan, becoming the first queen of Geumgwan Gaya. Her story, recorded in the Korean chronicle Samguk Yusa, tells that she was known at home as Princess Suriratna and that the voyage was ordered by the gods through dreams. It was set up in 2001 by the Uttar Pradesh government together with the South Korean city of Gimhae, and in 2015 a plan to rebuild and enlarge it was approved.

The grounds combine Indian and Korean design. Pavilions with curved tiled roofs in the Korean manner are dedicated to the queen and to King Kim Suro, and paths wind past a fountain, painted murals, explanatory plaques and audio-visual displays. A meditation hall forms the centrepiece. Members of the Karak clan travel from Korea every year to pay their respects here.