LUCKNOW: After having four deepotsavs on Diwali eve since 2017 and each year striking a new record of diyas (earthen lamps) lighted, the Ayodhya administration is gearing up to attempt another Guinness world record this year by lighting 7.5 lakh diyas at Ram Ki Pairi ghat on the banks of the river Saryu in November.
This would be the fifth and last deepotsav before the 2022 Assembly polls. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, whose government stared the tradition of celebrating Diwali eve with deepotsav regularly since coming to power in UP in March 2017, will be the chief guest at the event, said officials.
“Around 7000 volunteers will be engaged by the Ayodhya administration for the occasion. Most of them will be students of the Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University, Ayodhya,” said the district administration officials.
Before the event, three trial runs will also be carried out by the Ayodhya administration to make sure that the final event goes off smoothly. Apart from lighting of diyas, the deepotsav marks day-long events at Ram Ki Pairi, Ram Lila and a laser show in the night.
A team from the Guinness World Records will also be present in Ayodhya during the deepotsav to judge the event.
“This year we will go for a new Guinness world record of lighting 7.5 lakh diyas in Ayodhya. Elaborate arrangements are being made for the event at Ram Ki Pairi,” said BJP MLA Ved Prakash Gupta.
In 2019, a record 4,10,000 diyas were lit and in 2020, another record was set as 6,06,569 earthen lamps were lighted at the Ram Ki Pairi ghat along the river Saryu as well as a few other ghats during the fourth deepotsav. Due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns, only locals were permitted for deepotsav celebrations in 2020.