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Diwali celebrations start in Ayodhya with Heritage walk as temple town eyes record
Grand Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya began at 7am with a heritage walk starting from Kanchan Bhavan.
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Grand Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya began at 7am with a heritage walk starting from Kanchan Bhavan.
Hundreds of people lined up on both sides of the road to witness the event. People from all walks of life turned up to be a part of the ‘Heritage Walk’- a first of its kind in Ayodhya that would be lit up by a record 1.71 lakh earthen lamps, an effort for which the UP’s tourism department would be claiming a spot in the Guinness World Record.
Principal Secretary (Tourism), UP government, Awanish Awasthi, divisional commissioner, Faizabad, and BJP MLA from Ayodhya, Ved Prakash Gupta among others were present at the event along with Professor Manoj Dixit, the V-C of Awadh University, Faizabad.
After traversing through several parts of the city, around a kilometre walk ended at the Nageshwar Nath temple. It took around an hour for the event to complete.
Throughout the route locals welcomed ‘Heritage Walk’.
Chief minister Yogi Adiyanath is expected to reach Ram Katha Park, Ayodhya, at around 3.40pm from where he welcome ‘Ram Sobha Yatra’- a first in Ayodhya around Diwali. The yatra will have tableaus depicting various highlights of the ‘treta yug’ the period to which lord Ram belonged.
The grand Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya will also have a helicopter moment.
The Ram Leela artistes enacting the roles of Ram, his brother Lakshman and wife Sita will reach Ram Katha Park by chopper, replicating the trio’s return to Ayodhya by Pushpak Viman. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will welcome them and carry out ‘Raj Tilak’ (symbolic coronation) of Lord Ram at the special helipad constructed at Ram Katha Park at around 4pm.
“How can grandest Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya be complete without the use of modern day ‘Pushpak Viman’ (helicopter) that Lord Ram used to reach Ayodhya after victory over Ravan,” said Ved Prakash Gupta, BJP MLA from Ayodhya.
Governor Ram Naik will also be present on the occasion along with other ministers of the Yogi cabinet.
After the ‘Raj Tilak’, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and governor Ram Naik will perform ‘aarti’.
The coronation ceremony of lord Ram will be followed by ‘Saryu aarti’ at Ram Ki Paidi by CM Yogi Adityanath.
The day will also be testimony to Divya Deepotsav, lightning of 1.71 lakh earthen diyas at Ram Ki Paidi- an event that will mark Guinness record.
Thousands of volunteers from all across Ayodhya and Faizabad have been mobilized to make Divya Deepotsav successful.
A laser show at Ram Ki Paidi portraying birth of Lord Ram, his journey from Ayodhya, killing of Ravan and return to his kingdom will be displayed at the bank of river Saryu.
The grand finale of Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya will be through Ram Leelas of Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Artistes from Gorakhpur will perform indigenous Ram Leela.
