AYODHYA : As more than 30 lakh earthen lamps illuminate Ayodhya on November 7, marking the tenth edition of Deepotsav, the temple town will once again occupy the centre of India's cultural and political discourse. With Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan attending the celebrations alongside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the festival has acquired a national profile extending beyond its religious significance.
From the banks of the Saryu to Ram Ki Paidi, the celebrations, featuring a large-scale drone presentation depicting episodes from the Ramayana, international Ramleela performances and cultural programmes, come at a politically significant time, with Uttar Pradesh heading towards the 2027 Assembly elections.
For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Ayodhya has remained central to its ideological and cultural identity. Deepotsav was launched in 2017, coinciding with the beginning of the Yogi Adityanath government's tenure in Uttar Pradesh. Its subsequent expansion has run parallel to the construction of the Ram Mandir, its consecration in January 2024 and the development of Ayodhya as a major religious tourism destination.
A decade later, the political messaging around Ayodhya has expanded beyond the Ram Mandir demand to encompass cultural nationalism, religious heritage, social unity, tourism and infrastructure development. Ahead of 2027, the BJP is seeking to carry this narrative beyond the temple town and connect it with the state's wider electorate.
Deepotsav began in 2017 with approximately 1.71 lakh earthen lamps. The number increased to 26.17 lakh in 2025, while the government has targeted more than 30 lakh lamps for the tenth edition in 2026. What began as a celebration of Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya has developed into a multi-day programme involving religious ceremonies, cultural performances, international participation and tourism-related activities.
From Ram Mandir to a wider cultural narrative
The inauguration of the Ram Mandir in January 2024 marked a significant moment in Ayodhya's religious and political history. For the BJP, which had made the temple's construction a central part of its political mobilisation for decades, the inauguration represented the fulfilment of a long-standing commitment.
However, the completion of the temple also changed the context of the party's Ayodhya narrative. The emphasis has increasingly extended to promoting the city as an international spiritual destination, expanding religious tourism and highlighting infrastructure development.
The development of Ram Path, improvements in road and railway connectivity, the airport, visitor facilities and public infrastructure have been incorporated into the broader narrative of Ayodhya's transformation. Deepotsav provides an annual platform through which the government reinforces its association with this cultural and developmental agenda.
Dr Shashikant Pandey, Head of the Department of Political Science at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, said the temple and the festival represented two connected aspects of the BJP's political narrative.
"For the BJP, the Ram Mandir and Deepotsav represent two connected aspects of its Ayodhya narrative: the temple as the fulfilment of a long-standing ideological demand and the annual festival as a continuing celebration of cultural identity," he said.
The Yogi government has also sought to link the festival with social unity and development. Ahead of the celebrations, Adityanath described Deepotsav as an example of shared cultural identity, contrasting it with caste-based political divisions.
"Lamps burn in different hands, but their light unites the entire society. This is the message of Deepotsav," the Chief Minister said in a post on X on November 3.
He further said, "Caste rigidity divides society, while shared faith and culture weave it into a single thread. Shri Ayodhya ji's Deepotsav is a vibrant example of this social unity."
In his message marking the tenth edition, Adityanath described the festival as more than an exercise in setting records.
"This historic decade of Deepotsav in Shri Ayodhya Dham has not been limited to the glow of lamps and world records, but has become a golden chapter in the revival of the glory of Lord Shri Ram's city from the Treta Yuga, the renaissance of Sanatan culture, and the restoration of the nation's self-respect," he said.
He also linked the festival with the government's development agenda, saying, "Let us build a Ram Rajya where the light of development reaches the lives of those at the very bottom of society, and where this eternal flame of faith, harmony, and service continues to shine for ages to come."
The emphasis on social unity is significant in Uttar Pradesh, where caste equations, social representation and the political outreach to backward classes and Dalits remain important factors in electoral contests.
The Faizabad result and the limits of temple politics
While the BJP continues to foreground Ayodhya's religious and cultural significance, the 2024 Lok Sabha election result in Faizabad brought renewed attention to the role of caste equations, candidate selection and local issues.
Months after the consecration of the Ram Mandir, Samajwadi Party candidate Awadhesh Prasad defeated BJP's Lallu Singh in the Faizabad parliamentary constituency, which includes Ayodhya, by 54,567 votes. Prasad secured 5,54,289 votes against Singh's 4,99,722.
The result became an important reference point in the political debate over whether the Ram Mandir inauguration alone could translate into electoral gains. It also highlighted the importance of the SP's PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) strategy and the mobilisation of backward classes, Dalits and minorities.
Veteran political observer Anand Vardhan said the completion of the temple had changed the political urgency of the issue.
"Besides, since the promise was delivered, it also lost the political urgency that had helped the saffron party galvanise Hindu voters under one umbrella," Vardhan said.
He also pointed to the limitations of relying exclusively on the temple narrative.
"Losing in Faizabad sent out a statement — that the communal appeal has limits. And anyway, it works best with a negative narrative. Building a temple is a positive development, it won't build communal momentum," he said.
Political observers have also highlighted the importance of caste representation in electoral contests in Ayodhya.
"Ayodhya is synonymous with Lord Ram. But when it comes to elections, Ram naam is not enough. The jaati of the candidates also matters," a political observer said.
The BJP's own electoral calculations reflect these competing factors. Although the party retained the Ayodhya Assembly segment's lead in the 2024 Lok Sabha election by 4,667 votes, the defeat in the larger Faizabad constituency remains a significant political reference point.
Ayodhya emerges as a key battleground ahead of 2027
The political significance of the temple town has become more pronounced with the 2027 Assembly elections approaching.
In October, Adityanath challenged SP president Akhilesh Yadav to contest the 2027 Assembly elections from Ayodhya after Yadav had challenged the Chief Minister to enter the electoral contest from the temple town.
The exchange brought Ayodhya back into the centre of the state's electoral discussion. The SP has announced former Ayodhya MLA Tej Narain Pandey, popularly known as Pawan Pandey, as its candidate from the constituency.
A BJP leader, speaking about the party's electoral calculations in Ayodhya, said the social composition of the constituency would be an important factor.
"The current social equations make the election a challenging task for our party in the prestigious Ayodhya seat. Yadavs and Muslims are traditional SP voters. Also, the SP has fielded a local Brahmin candidate who will cut into our Brahmin and other upper-caste votes. Dalit voters will play a key role here," the leader said.
The leader said caste representation and candidate selection would remain important considerations even as the BJP continued to foreground the Ram Mandir, cultural identity and the city's redevelopment.
For the SP, the Faizabad victory has provided an opportunity to challenge the BJP on social representation and local political issues. For the BJP, the challenge is to consolidate its traditional support base while addressing the concerns that have emerged alongside Ayodhya's transformation.
Redevelopment, local concerns and the economic question
Beyond electoral calculations, Ayodhya's redevelopment has also generated a debate over the distribution of benefits and the impact of infrastructure expansion on residents and traditional communities.
The government has highlighted new roads, public spaces, visitor facilities and tourism-related investment as evidence of the city's transformation. However, the impact of redevelopment on local businesses, residents and traditional communities has also emerged as an issue in the political discourse.
Pawan Pandey has criticised the redevelopment model, describing it as the "corporatisation of Hindutva".
"This was seen as the corporatisation of Hindutva, where the profits of a few trump the sentiments and rights of lakhs of people," he said.
The concerns over redevelopment have added another dimension to the political debate. While the government has projected infrastructure expansion as necessary for accommodating the growing number of visitors, the concerns of people affected by changes to roads, commercial areas and traditional neighbourhoods remain relevant to the city's political future.
Tourism and the local economy: Beyond the festival spectacle
The expansion of Deepotsav has accompanied the government's effort to develop Ayodhya as a year-round religious tourism destination.
According to Uttar Pradesh Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh, the five-day Deepotsav celebrations in 2025 generated an estimated Rs 55 crore for Ayodhya's local economy.
"During the five-day Deepotsav period in 2025, the festival is estimated to have generated more than Rs 55 crore for Ayodhya's local economy," Singh said in a media interview.
He also claimed that average daily earnings of shopkeepers had increased from approximately Rs 400-500 to around Rs 2,500.
The increase in visitors, he said, had generated demand across hospitality, restaurants, retail, transportation, handicrafts and local services.
The 2026 preparations have also involved traditional artisans. An order worth Rs 12.8 lakh was placed for 1.6 lakh diyas produced by 25 rural women from Ayodhya and Barabanki. By October, 197 potters had also received electric pottery wheels to increase their production capacity.
Potters from villages surrounding Ayodhya have received bulk orders for lamps. Braj Kishore Prajapati, a potter from Jaysinghpur, told The New Indian Express that his family had completed an order for one lakh lamps. Another artisan, Rajesh Prajapati, received an order for two lakh diyas.
The artisans said the expansion of Deepotsav had increased their earnings and reduced the need for some families to migrate elsewhere for work.
Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Culture and Religious Affairs, Amrit Abhijat, highlighted the importance of ensuring that tourism infrastructure also serves local residents.
"The idea is that the city that works well for its people is better equipped to welcome visitors," he said.
For shopkeepers, hotel operators, transport workers, vendors and traditional artisans, the rise in tourist numbers has created additional business opportunities. The extent to which these opportunities translate into sustained income, however, remains an important measure of Ayodhya's economic transformation.
The tenth edition of Deepotsav marks a decade of the Yogi government's association with the festival. Its expansion from 1.71 lakh diyas in 2017 to a target of more than 30 lakh in 2026 reflects the increasing scale of the state's cultural programme in Ayodhya.
The Ram Mandir, the annual festival and the development of religious tourism have together given Ayodhya a prominent place in the BJP's political narrative. Ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, the party's messaging around the city encompasses cultural identity, social unity, religious heritage, tourism and infrastructure development.
However, the 2024 Faizabad result, the importance of caste equations and concerns surrounding redevelopment have added complexity to the electoral picture.
For the BJP, the challenge is to translate the cultural and symbolic importance of Ayodhya into a wider political narrative that also addresses local grievances, social representation, employment and the distribution of economic benefits.
As the lamps illuminate Ayodhya for the tenth consecutive year, the political contest surrounding the temple town is increasingly about more than the Ram Mandir. It is also about how the city's transformation is experienced by its residents and how that experience shapes the electoral choices of 2027.
