MEGA DEEPOTSAV CELEBRATIONS BEGIN IN AYODHYA

LUCKNOW: The Yogi Adityanath government’s fifth consecutive Deepotsav celebrations started in Ayodhya on Monday with festive fervour.

The celebrations were kicked off with the inauguration of Shilp Bazar at Ram Katha Park, which was the venue of several cultural events on Day One of celebrations.

On the inaugural day, famous Watkar sisters of Nagpur, Bhagyashri and Dhanashri, presented a musical rendition of various parts of Ramayan.

Isha Ratan and Misha Ratan from Lucknow presented Kathak dance while famous bhajan singer Anoop Jalota enthralled the audience with his devotional songs. A troupe of artiste from Janakpur, Nepal, gave a performance on Ramayan. The majestic Ram Ki Paidi ghat was all decked up with colourful lights for the mega celebrations. This ghat is the main venue of Deepotsav celebrations where around nine lakh earthen diyas will be lighted on the eve of Diwali on Wednesday.

All temples, even those in narrow lanes and bylanes of Ayodhya, are decked up for the festive occasion.

“Deepotsav celebrations began in Ayodhya today (Monday). The entire city has been spruced up. The main event is scheduled on Wednesday, which will be presided over by chief minister Yogi Adityanath,” said Ved Prakash Gupta, BJP MLA from Ayodhya.

The Ayodhya administration will go for Guinness Book of World record of lighting diyas (earthen lamps) at Ram Ki Paidi on Wednesday. For this record, nine lakh earthen diyas will illuminate Ram Ki Paidi. To make this event successful, the Ayodhya administration and the Uttar Pradesh Tourism department have mobilised 12,000 volunteers.

Thirty-two other ghats in Ayodhya will also be illuminated with earthen diyas. For the first time, the state government is organising an aerial drone show on Deepotsav.