Ayodhya broke the Guinness World Record as 6,06,569 earthen lamps were simultaneously lit for about 45 minutes on Saryu river banks as part of the Deepotsav celebrations, casting a halo over the ancient city.
The flickering lights of diyas cast a glow on the Saryu river much to the delight of the visitors and the local residents who flocked to the river banks to celebrate the occasion.
Last year, Ayodhya had set a world record by lighting 4.09 lakh diyas during Deepotsav and this year the target was scaled up to lighting 5.51 lakh oil lamps.
Participating in the function, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath declared that 6,06,569 diyas were lighted and it was possible only because of thousands of volunteers who toiled hard to ensure the success of this mission.
Government spokesman Shishir Kumar affirmed that the lamps set a world record and representatives from Guinness World Records handed over a certificate to the chief minister after monitoring the record with drone cameras.
District Magistrate of Ayodhya, Anuj Jha, said that over 8,000 volunteers, majority of them college students, worked tirelessly to ensure that the lamps burnt for the prescribed time so that the Guinness record could be eclipsed.
The administration had purchased over seven lakh lamps, one lakh of which were made of cow dung, from local artisans after which the diyas were placed on the river banks.
Throwing precaution of social distancing to the wind, lighting of lamps was carried out in 28 ghats. The lamps were also lit at major temples, markets and other historic places of Ayodhya.
“We have been working for the last three days and have arranged the diyas (earthen lamps) very systematically. We were imparted training on how to light the diyas without disturbing the symmetry,” Saket College student Anita Chauhan said.
Anita said that the big challenge for them was to ensure that the lamps glowed for at least 45 minutes as it was mandatory for breaking the Guinness record.
“We ensured that oil was put continuously in these lamps so that they did not extinguish,” she said.
Earlier, the scene of ‘Treta yuga’ was recreated on Friday when ‘Lord Ram’, along with ‘Sita’ and ‘Laxman’, in their ‘Pushpak Viman’ touched the grounds after a ‘14-year of exile’. The people waited with a bated breath to welcome ‘Lord Ram’ with the same zeal, devotion and enthusiasm that the city might have witnessed when Ram returned after defeating Ravana.
Chants of Jai Shri Ram kept reverberating the atmosphere with Deepotsav starting at its scheduled time.
The reception of these symbolic forms of Gods was attended by Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries.
The chief minister also offered prayers on behalf of devotees after which the scenic reunion of Lord Rama and his brother Bharat took place bringing alive the memories of Lord Ram’s coronation amidst Vedic chants.
Yogi Adityanath also paid obeisance to Lord Ram and sought blessings for people’s welfare.
After arriving in Ayodhya for Deepotsav, Yogi Adityanath first visited the Ram Janmabhoomi temple and offered prayers for the welfare of the people.