E-Paper
Ayodhya calling! 10 stages, 25 lakh diyas & more
Ayodhya's Deepotsav on Wednesday promises a cultural feast with 25 lakh lamps, performances from six countries, and diverse folk dances across ten stages.
Lucknow
Residents of Ayodhya are in for a cultural feast as the city prepares for Deepotsav on Wednesday. The event is set to bring together a grand confluence of spirituality, tradition, and culture, promising a unique celebration this year.
This will be the first Deepotsav after the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
A new record is expected to be set with the lighting of 25 lakh lamps across the city.
To host the grand festival, the government has prepared 10 major stages across Ayodhya.
Ramkatha Park will host a vibrant lineup of cultural performances. Ramlila will be performed by artistes from six countries: Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Indonesia, along with a group from Uttarakhand.
Ranjana Nev from Saharanpur will bring a dance-filled performance of the Ramayana, while Preeti Singh, known as “Preeti Ke Parindey”, from Agra will present a Hanuman Chalisa dance drama.
Maitreya Pahari and his team from Delhi will perform “Shri Ramcharitmanas Nari Shakti,” celebrating women’s strength in Ramayana tales.
These cultural events will begin at 7 pm.
Also, artistes from across India will bring a rich variety of folk dances to Deepotsav. Performers include Nidhi Chaurasia’s Team Badhawa from Madhya Pradesh, Sanhal Devi with Bihu from Assam, Shraddha performing Lavni from Maharashtra, Shridhar Vishwakarma showcasing Gusadi from Telangana, Shrishtidhar Mahato’s Chhau team from Jharkhand, and Mahima performing Jhijhiya from Bihar.
Additionally, Mamta Devi will present Rajasthan’s Kalveliya/Ghoomar folk dance, and Mohd. Yasin’s team will perform Rauf from Jammu. There will also be a Ghoomar performance by Sandeep Yadav’s team from Haryana, Bhangra by Hardeep Singh’s team from Punjab, and Dholtasha by Shivmudra Multipurpose Institute from Nagpur.
Other highlights include Dandiya-Garba by Nitin Dave’s team from Gujarat, Shirmour Nati dance from Himachal Pradesh by Devdutt’s team, Panthi dance by Milap Das Banjare from Chhattisgarh, Sighi Chham dance from Sikkim by Sharad Chandra Singh, Ludi dance from Chandigarh by Gurpender Singh, Lamp dance by Mahesh Samayi from Goa, and Gotipua dance from Odisha by Chitrasen’s team. This vibrant showcase will begin at 9 am.
