Ayodhya Diwali celebrations LIVE Updates: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to make a big announcement regarding the construction of a grand statue of ‘Lord Ram’ as he visits Ayodhya for the grand Diwali celebrations in the city. The UP chief minister is accompanied by South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-Sook. She, along with the chief minister will lay the foundation stone for the Korean Memorial, which is dedicated to Korean queen Suriratna (Heo Hwang-ok).
A majestic ceremonial gateway has been constructed near the site of the main function called ‘Deepotsav’, which will begin from Tuesday afternoon. The biggest attraction of the three-day event will be the lighting of 3 lakh diyas along the banks of the Saryu river in an attempt to create a world record that the government narrowly missed last year. Around 1.7 lakh diyas were lit last year.
READ | Grand Ram statue in Ayodhya? Speculations rife as Yogi Adityanath heads to Ayodhya
These celebrations are of significance this year with talks around the Ram temple issue gaining momentum ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha polls and the Supreme Court deferring the hearing in the matter until January next year. The pressure on the government is immense to deliver on its promise of constructing a Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. Hindu groups, as well as members of the government, have called upon the government to take the legislative route to clear the way for the construction of the Ram Temple.
Ayodhya Deepostav 2018 enters Guinness Book of Record for lighting 3,01,152 earthen lamps, on the bank of River Sarayu.
Visuals from 'Ram ki paidi', on the banks of Sarayu river in Ayodhya.
Yogi Adityanath says that a medical college and an airport will be built in Ayodhya. He said that while the medical college will be named after Dasharatha, the airport will be named after Lord Ram.
Yogi Adityanath asks no chief minister used to come to Ayodhya but he did. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister added that the city's roads were cleaned. He added that people were scared to take Ayodhya's name earlier but PM Narendra Modi changed that.
UP CM says 8 lakh families got free connection, 8 crore people got electricity connection, 12 crore people got home and 50 people were included in the Ayushmaan Bharat. He said this is how Lord Ram had ruled. Adityanath said that the current government doesn't differentiate between people.
Yogi Adityanath says Faizabad will be known as Ayodhya from now on. The demand was put forward by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad after Allahabad was renamed to Prayagraj.
The UP CM has started his speech in Ayodhya. He is set to make a few big announcements today. He starts by thanking the South Korean first lady and other dignitaries.
The South Korean first lady Kim-Jung Sook has started speaking in Ayodhya. She thanks Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath for inviting her to India.
Rishikesh Upadhyay, the mayor of Ayodhya Municipal Corporation, told PTI, “There is a proposal to install a 151-metre-tall statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya…Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath may make an announcement on this on the occasion of Dev Deepawali.”
“The place where the statue will be installed will be finalised after the soil is tested. The statue is likely to come up in the vicinity of Sant Tulsidas Ghat. Officials are looking at two-three sites, after which they will pick the best one,” Upadhyay, a BJP leader, added.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and South Korean first lady Kim-Jung Sook inaugurated the Queen Huh Memorial at Queen Huh Park in Ayodhya.
Yogi Adityanath welcomes the South Korean first lady. He says it will give new heights to the relations between the two countries.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister is now speaking at the venue. He starts by thanking all the dignatries.
The Bharatiya Janata Party said that Yogi Adityanath will make special announcements during the celebrations. But, it is till not clear what these announcements could be.
This is the first time when a South Korean first lady is visiting India without the president. "The legend of Queen Heo Hwang-ok binds the two countries together culturally, and her visit will further promote our people-to-people ties," a senior official at the cultural wing of the South Korean Embassy in New Delhi said.
A performance will be given by a cultural team from South Korea's Busan adjacent to the site of the Queen Heo Hwang-ok Memorial as part of the 'Deepotsav' celebrations. According to Korean legend, a princess of Ayodhya went to Korea in 48 AD and married King Kim-Suro. A large number of Koreans trace their ancestry to this legendary princess, who is known as Queen Heo Hwang-ok in South Korea.
"A team from Busan National Gugak Center arrived in Ayodhya on Monday. They will be performing 'Dance of the Queens' on Tuesday as part of the celebrations here. It will also be attended by our (South Korean) First lady Kim Jung-sook," a senior official of South Korea's Ministry of Culture told PTI.
South Korean first lady Kim-Jung Sook has arrived at the Queen Hau Park in Ayodhya. CM Yogi Adityanath is also present. They will lay the foundation stone for the Korean Memorial, which is dedicated to Korean queen Suriratna (Heo Hwang-ok).