The city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh is all set to set another world record this Diwali. The temple city is on its way to light 21 lakh lamps at 51 ghats at the same time, setting yet another world record.
Around 25,000 volunteers from Avadh University and the Ayodhya district administration have been roped in to light the diyas at the same time. The team from the Guinness Book of World Records will be counting the lamps with the help of a drone camera. The grand “Deepotsav 2023” event will start from 3 PM, and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be inaugurating it.
Take a look at records set in the past six years starting from 2017:
2017 – Over 1.71 lakh earthen lamps were lit in the first year and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had inaugurated the event.
2018 – At least 3,01,152 diyas, or earthen lamps, were lit on the banks of River Sarayu. A 30-foot statue of Lord Ram, alongside Lord Hanuman was placed on the Saryu River banks in Ayodhya for Diwali. South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-sook, the chief guest, began her Diwali tour by honoring the Queen Heo Memorial and participating in its upgrade ceremony, dedicated to the legendary Ayodhya princess connected to Korea.
2019 – Around 4.10 lakh earthen lamps were lit around the ghat in 2019 ahead of Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya.
2020 – The banks of the sacred Sarayu river in the city sparkled with the glow of 5,84,572 earthen lamps in 2020, earning the event a place in the Guinness World Records for the largest display of oil lamps. The event was elevated by a mesmerizing laser show. Additionally, the city experienced a spectacle featuring not just one but 11 tableaux depicting different episodes of the Ramcharitmanas, along with a grand presentation of the darbar of Ram Lalla and Ramayana.
2021 – For Deepotsav, 9,51,000 earthen lamps were lit along the Saryu River in Ayodhya, with an additional 50,000 at the Ram temple site, out of a total of 1.2 million diyas, while the remaining illuminated various temples.
2022 – Ayodhya, the Land of Lord Rama, set a Guinness World Record by lighting up 1.576 million diyas during the Chotti Diwali celebration at Ram Ki Paidi on the banks of the Saryu River. With the help of 19,000 volunteers, a total of 1.7 million earthen lamps adorned the 37 ghats of Ram Ki Paidi. The Deepotsav festivities included the reenactment of God Ram and Goddess Sita’s arrival in Ayodhya, a laser and sound show, cultural programs, and the illumination of earthen lamps along the Saryu River banks.
2023 – This year, Ayodhya is set to light up 21 lakh diyas in Ayodhya Deeptosav. During the celebration, Ramleela will also be staged along with a laser show and fireworks.