Ayodhya on Friday created a new Guinness world record by lighting 6,06,569 earthen lamps (diyas) at the majestic Ram Ki Paidi ghat on the banks of the Saryu river and other ghats of the temple town during the fourth Deepotsav.
The banks of river Saryu lit up with earthen lamps (diyas) during Deepotsav celebrations on the eve of Diwali in Ayodhya on Friday. (HT PHOTO)
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Ram Ki Paidi, a series of ghats, wore a celestial look with lakhs of earthen diyas illuminating it in the backdrop of the Saryu.
A Guinness team was present to judge the event. By creating this world record, the Ayodhya administration broke its own record it set last year by lighting 4,10,000 diyas.
Chief minister Adityanath lit the first diya at Ram Ki Paidi ghat. Governor Anandiben Patel was also present on the occasion.
The CM congratulated the Ayodhya administration for the world record and for organising the Deepotsav event successfully.
Around 8,000 students of Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University, Faizabad, had volunteered to make the event successful.
“I congratulate the Ayodhya administration, students of Ram Manohar Lohia University and all volunteers for creating this world record,” Adityanath.
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Hundreds of temples and maths dotting Ayodhya were also lit up for the occasion. Almost the entire town was decked up with colourful lights.
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Hundreds of temples and maths dotting Ayodhya were also lit up for the occasion. Almost the entire town was decked up with colourful lights.
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In the 2018 Deepotsav also, a Guinness record of lighting 3.1 lakh earthen lamps was set.
After the BJP government came to power in UP (March 2017), the Adityanath government has been organising Deepotsav celebration in Ayodhya on the eve of Diwali.
The grand finale of Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya was marked by all-women Ram Leela by artists from Chhattisgarh. Adityanath watched this performance along with other members of his cabinet.
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
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