Ayodhya lights up for its 10th Deepotsav; Vice-President attends

Ayodhya held the main event of its 10th Deepotsav on Saturday, 7 November, the eve of Deepavali, lighting lakhs of earthen lamps along the ghats of the Saryu, with the Vice-President, the Governor and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in attendance.

Mr. Adityanath welcomed the Vice-President, saying he had come despite a busy schedule, along with the Governor and religious leaders, according to the State government.

Organisers had set a target of about 28 lakh diyas, more than the 26.17 lakh lit across 56 ghats last year, which set a Guinness World Record. The final count and whether a new record was set had not been announced. The celebrations, held over several days, also included a show by about 2,100 drones, cultural performances by about 1,000 Indian artists and troupes from abroad, and some 35,000 volunteers, many of them students of Dr. Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University. The government set a target of reaching more than five crore people through digital platforms.

The bigger picture

The Deepotsav began in 2017, the year Mr. Adityanath became Chief Minister, and has grown into one of the State’s showcase events, more so since the Ram temple opened in January 2024. Its scale has drawn criticism from the Samajwadi Party over the cost; the government says it brings tourism and jobs to Ayodhya, which it says draws crores of visitors a year.