LUCKNOW: With ‘festival of lights’ Diwali being around the weekend, the UP government is ready to launch a website for a virtual Deepotsav (flame lamp festival) for people to participate in the Ayodhya Deepotsav by lighting a virtual diya owing to the pandemic.
However, the Ayodhya residents will illuminate the temple town by lighting 5,51,000 earthen lamps on the eve of Diwali. The diyas will be lit along with ‘Ram Ki Pairi’, all mutts, temples and homes so that the whole temple town is lit up brightly.
Ayodhya Deeptosav is a Guinness record holder annual affair started by Yogi Aditynath government in 2017. Lakhs of diyas are lit to illuminate the ghats of holy Saryu and the entire Ayodhya town to mark Deepawali, the homecoming of Lord Ram along with Sita and brother Lakshman after an exile of 14 years.
This year, in order to make people participate in the event virtually, the state government would launch the website on November 13, on Deepawali eve.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also likely to be a part of this year’s virtual celebration which will take place in Ayodhya’s Sri Ramlala Darbar. While the state government has decided to light up over 5,50,000 physical diyas (lamps) on this occasion, people have been invited to take part in the ceremony
virtually. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, several restrictions have been laid to ensure the celebration is carried out smoothly.
This year’s ceremony is going to be special as it comes months after the laying of the foundation stone for Ram Temple in August.
“The virtual Deepotsav will be no less real than the actual one and thus, this platform will enable a never before real experience. The portal will have a portrait of Sri Ram Lalla Virajman before which the virtual lamps will be lit. The portal will have a facility to pick up the lamp-stand of one’s
choice -- steel, brass, or any other material. An option of using ghee or oil will also be available for devotees.
"Not only this, the hands of the person lighting up the lamp on the website would be based on whether the devotee is a man or a woman. After the lamps are lit, based on the details of the devotees, a thank you digital letter carrying the picture of Shri Ram Lalla from the UP CM will also be issued. The web portal will be up before the main event on November 13 to be available for common people,” said a UP government spokesman.
The state government statement said that Yogi Adityanath had issued instructions to make the Ayodhya Deepotsav grander this time but has also cautioned that there should be no breach of Covid-19 protocol. Directives were also issued to hold different daily rituals by ensuring that all Covid-19 protocols were
adhered to.
Meanwhile, security was beefed up and all events were cancelled in twin cities of Ayodhya and Faizabad on Monday (November 9), which marks the first anniversary of the Ayodhya verdict by the Supreme Court of India.
While on one hand, frisking of the vehicles heading towards Ram temple site was intensified in Ayodhya, on the other ban was imposed on celebrating the first anniversary of the deliverance of apex court order by which the 2.77 acre disputed land was handed over to Hindu parties and five-acre land allocated to the Sunni Waqf Board in Dhannipur village under Sohawal tehsil in Ayodhya district to construct a mosque.
This year, on August 5, PM Modi had come down to Ayodhya to perform Bhoomi Pujan to pave way for the construction of the Ram temple at his birthplace.