Lucknow, Jan 25 (IANS): Fear, apprehension and suspicion has finally been replaced with a sense of ease and excitement and Ayodhya, after the Supreme Court verdict - is now striding ahead with development.

A new yet-to-be released book 'Ayodhya -A Battleground' focuses on the holy city after the Supreme Court verdict in 2019 that finally settled the decades' old dispute. Perhaps , the first one to do so.

Written by journalist Hemant Sharma, the book moves to Ayodhya, beyond the verdict, and has new chapter added to the English version.

The Hindi version 'Yuddh Mein Ayodhya' was released in 2018.

Sharma, who visited Ayodhya for the first time after the verdict over the weekend, told IANS, "I have been visiting and covering events in Ayodhya for more than 30 years now and every time, I could sense mistrust and fear among locals. This time, the change in the mood was palpable. There is positivity in the air and the immense development being in the city has created euphoria. The wave of development is surging ahead along with temple construction."

The book, he said, chronicles the Ayodhya movement with flashbacks into history.

"I have written what I saw without taking sides and I have ensured honesty in narration," he said.