: Thousands of earthen lamps were lit on the bank of Saryu River in Ayodhya in a world record-setting attempt to mark the eighth 'Deepotsav' on Wednesday. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led the celebrations as he, along with his cabinet members and others, lit the first few lamps to mark the launch of the Deepostav -- the first since the consecration of Ram Lalla temple on January 22 this year. The entire town was decked up for the event even as music dedicated to Lord Ram beamed from all corners reverberating in the air.
Adityanath first had 'darshan' of Lord Ram, then paid his respects at his feet, according to a statement from the government. "After this, the Chief Minister lit lamps in front of the Lord. The Chief Minister also lit five lamps outside," it said.
The hashtag 'Sabka_Utsav_Ayodhya_Deepotsav' trended on X. The Ram Temple was visited on the occasion by several ministers and other dignitaries, including Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak. Ayodhya was all about festivities on Wednesday as a procession with vibrant tableaux bearing characters from Ramayan made its way through the temple town as part of the eighth Deepotsav celebration.
At its conclusion, the procession carrying the mythical characters was received with an 'aarti' by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who also pulled the chariot on which artistes playing Lord Ram, Sita, Lakshman, and Hanuman were seated. The characters were brou.