Ayodhya glows with record 2.6 mn diyas

The temple town of Ayodhya shimmered like a constellation Sunday night, as more than 2.6 million diyas, or earthen lamps, flickered along the banks of the Saryu river on the eve of Diwali, locally celebrated as Deepotsav.

- VIRENDRA SINGH RAWAT

The celebrations set a new Guinness World Record, eclipsing previous Deepotsav feats. The spectacle was led by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, his saffron turban glowing in the lamp-lit night.

In a parallel record, 2,128 devotees performed an arti simultaneously on the river banks. The UP government has, over successive years, made and broken its own records in orchestrating the largest displays of diyas in a single location. In 2023 and 2024, more than 2.2 million and 2.5 million lamps lit up the Saryu banks, respectively.