In Ayodhya, Rahul Gandhi will first offer prayers at the famous Hanuman Garhi temple.
Rahul Gandhi's convoy of cars, buses and open trucks arrived in the temple town of Ayodhya on Friday, the fourth day of the Congress vice-president's
yatra or tour of Uttar Pradesh, where elections will be held early next year.
Mr Gandhi's visit is being watched keenly. No member of the Congress's first family has visited Ayodhya since the demolition of the Babri Masjid 24 years ago, in December 1992.
In Ayodhya, Mr Gandhi, 46, first offered prayers at the famous Hanuman Garhi temple, but it is not clear yet whether he will visit the Ram temple at the disputed Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid site, about a kilometre away.
The temple visit today is steeped in symbolism. 26 years ago, Rahul Gandhi's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had planned to visit the Hanuman Garhi temple on a trip to Ayodhya, but could not because of a lack of time. He was assassinated the next year, on May 21, 1991. Rahul Gandhi was then 20.
Some political observers spot a soft Hindutva agenda in the Ayodhya visit as the Congress follows a Brahmin-centric campaign in Uttar Pradesh prescribed by election strategist Prashant Kishor, who is designing every move that Mr Gandhi makes on his month-long tour.
"I am happy that he is going. But his party always accused BJP of playing politics whenever we talked about Ram temple or about going there. Rahul has understood the power of Ram," said the BJP's Sidharth Nath Singh.
"Please don't bring any politics into this. The Congress stands for all religions," said party leader Qutubuddin.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi's visit to Varanasi last month had to be cut short before she visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple as she fell ill. Mrs Gandhi, who is like Rahul a member of Parliament from UP, has not visited Ayodhya since 1992, though she has visited its twin town of Faizabad for election campaigns.
Mr Gandhi will visit Faizabad too today, where he will hold a road show. He is also scheduled to visit the Kichaucha Sharif Dargah, a Muslim shrine in Ambedkar Nagar.
Prashant Kishor reportedly calculates that the Congress must win its original constituencies of Muslims, Brahmins and a section of the non-Dalit Other Backward Castes (OBCs) as it makes a serious attempt at an impact in UP, which it had last won 27 years ago.