Ayodhya gears up for grand 'Deepotsav'

Ayodhya Diyas have been laid out in squares of 16, some in special patterns, security staff have fanned across the city, laser lights have been set up and drones are

whirring overhead.

Ayodhya is preparing to hold on Wednesday its first Deepotsav after the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in a manner not seen in its previous seven editions.

The government aims to better its last year’s Guinness World Record by lighting 25 lakh diyas on the banks of Saryu river.

In an addition from the last year, 1,100 people will perform a special ‘aarti’ on the banks of the river with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in attendance.

On Tuesday, a team of 30 members, led by Guinness World Records consultant Nischal Barot, began counting the diyas using drone on the 55 ghats of the Saryu.

Officials said they have ordered 28 lakh diyas from local artisans so that even if they lose 10 per cent of them fair any reason — a number they have arrived with experience of the last seven Deepotsav — the target of 25 lakh is still achieved.

Ayodhaya Range Inspector General of Police Praveen Kumar said around 10,000 security personnel — half of them in plain clothes — have been deployed across the city to maintain security Deepotsav.

While diyas have been generally kept in squares of 16, some have been placed creatively to make visible attractive patterns. For example, 80,000 diyas have been decorated in the shape of a swastika on Ghat No. 10, symbolizing auspiciousness and serving as a central attraction. Deepotsav Nodal Officer Sant Sharan Mishra said all preparations

are in place.