Ayodhya sets new Guinness record with 25,12,585 diyas
Ayodhya set a Guinness record by lighting over 25 lakh diyas and hosting 1,121 participants in Saryu Arti during Deepotsav, celebrated by a grand show.
Ayodhya created a new Guinness record by lighting 25,12,585 lakh diyas on Ram ki Paidi and 54 other ghats on the banks of the Saryu at the eighth Deepotsav in Ayodhya, surpassing its 2023 record of lighting 22.23 lakh diyas.
The majestic Ram ki Paidi lit up during Deepotsav in Ayodhya, on Wednesday. (Deepak Gupta/HT)
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Ayodhya created another record of the largest number of 1,121 people performing the Saryu Arti.
Nischal Barot, in-charge of the Guinness World Records team in India, made the announcement from Ram Ki Paidi. The Guinness Team handed over the title of two new records to chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
As the chief minister held out the two Guinness Record titles, the crowd at the majestic Ram Ki Paidi responded with loud cheers, a big round of applause and chants of Jai Sri Ram.
The announcement was followed by a fireworks’ display at the old Saryu bridge, lighting the Ayodhya skyline. But before the cracker show, it was a laser and drone show that left the people mesmerised.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath witnessed the spectacle from Ram Ki Paidi along with the union minister for culture and tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and others.
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Earlier, after chief minister Yogi Adityanath lighted the first diya at Ram Ki Paidi at around 6pm, around 30,000 volunteers of Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University lighted 28 lakh diyas laid on 55 ghats across Ayodhya, including Ram Ki Paidi.
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Earlier, after chief minister Yogi Adityanath lighted the first diya at Ram Ki Paidi at around 6pm, around 30,000 volunteers of Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University lighted 28 lakh diyas laid on 55 ghats across Ayodhya, including Ram Ki Paidi.
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Around 28 lakh diyas were laid on 55 ghats of Ayodhya to achieve the target of lighting more than 25 lakh diyas.
Addressing the gathering, Adityanath said: “People are trying to divide society on the basis of caste, region and language like Ravan did in the Treta age. You all know the fate of all such people, including Ravana.”
Without naming anyone from the Samajwadi Party, Adityanath said: “Chacha and Kaka are doing the same thing. They will meet the same fate.”
Pawan Dixit, Assistant Editor, brings over 20 years of frontline reporting experience to the newsroom. A specialist on Uttar Pradesh politics and governance, he has reported from the ground across the state’s most consequential stories. He cut his teeth in eastern UP, spending 15 years covering the region. Based in Varanasi, he reported the 2012 UP Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that reshaped the state’s political map. Moving to Lucknow in 2016, he has since led coverage of the 2017 and 2022 UP Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. His reporting tracks the BJP’s strategy, opposition moves, and voter sentiment across all 75 districts. Pawan has been a constant presence in Ayodhya since 2016. He reported the entire arc of the Ram Mandir movement — from the legal fight to the Supreme Court verdict, through temple construction, to the inauguration. He continues to track every development at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On the state beat, he covers the BJP, the Industrial Development Department, and handles key outstation political assignments. He also reports major cases from the district court, Lucknow bench of the High Court, and the State Information Commission. Along with this, he also reports on NGT's important decisions related to UP. Known for sharp sourcing and clear analysis, Pawan connects politics, policy, infrastructure and faith — the forces driving UP today. He has reported developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir movement since 2016. The Supreme Court's Ram Mandir verdict, temple construction and the its opening have been reported by him.
He reports all developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir Trust.
He covers state BJP, Industrial development department, outstation political assignments, reports special cases from district court, high court and state information commission
