Ayodhya illuminates banks with 36 lakh earthen lamps for tenth Deepotsav celebrations

LUCKNOW — Ayodhya illuminated its banks with 36 lakh earthen lamps on Saturday as the town celebrated the 10th edition of Deepotsav, blending traditional devotion with modern technology.

Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the celebrations alongside Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and various seers. This year’s milestone event marks a decade since the festival was established, cementing Ayodhya’s identity as the city of Lord Ram. Coming ahead of the upcoming 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the festival drew lakhs of devotees in person alongside an audience numbering in crores nationwide.

The celebrations unfolded primarily across two venues, Ram Katha Park and Ram Ki Paidi, where the symbolic arrival of Lord Ram, Mata Sita, and Lakshman was recreated by artistes arriving via helicopter. Adityanath performed the traditional aarti, welcoming the figures mirroring the epic’s description of Ayodhya greeting Lord Ram after 14 years of exile.

Dignitaries and seers gathered at Ram Katha Park to watch cultural performances involving Ramleela troupes from South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Laos, alongside roughly 2,000 artistes representing 13 states. Celebrations then shifted to Ram Ki Paidi, where the Vice-President lit the initial lamp to trigger the illumination of 30 lakh diyas spanning 56 ghats along the Saryu river. Student volunteers from Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University and other institutions arranged the lamps in precise grids.

The lighting display was complemented by a 3-D projection mapping and laser show, a musical fireworks display at Naya Ghat, and a 2,100-drone show illustrating scenes of Ram’s return, the Ram Darbar, and the Ram Mandir. Key thoroughfares including the 13-kilometre Ram Path connecting Ayodhya to Lata Chowk and Dharampath featured thematic lighting, LED panels, floral displays, and rangolis. The Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir was illuminated with colorful lights to accommodate thousands of early-morning visitors.

Initiated in 2017 by the Yogi Adityanath administration, Deepotsav has scaled from 1.71 lakh lamps in its inaugural year to consecutive record-breaking displays. Following the Ram Mandir consecration, the festival recorded 25,12,585 lamps in 2024 and 26,17,215 lamps in 2025, culminating in this year’s target of 30 lakh diyas across the ghats.

Additional attendees at the event included Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, state ministers Surya Pratap Shahi, Jaiveer Singh, and Satish Chandra Sharma, Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi, and multiple local legislators and council members.