Ayodhya’s Deepotsav becomes a global beacon of Sanatan Dharma and Viksit Bharat
Ayodhya once again shimmered like the celestial city this Deepawali as over 26 lakh diyas illuminated the Saryu ghats and temple streets. It was a breathtaking display that could easily be imagined as a 1,300-kilometer line of diyas, nearly the round-trip distance between New Delhi and Lucknow. We assumed each diya, measuring ~ 5 cm, placed in a row, would constitute a distance of 1,300 kilometers.
Using drone-based verification, the Guinness World Records team certified the feat, giving Uttar Pradesh another world record. But beyond the spectacle of millions of lamps lies a deeper truth: Ayodhya’s Deepotsav is the living flame of Sanatan resurgence, a reclaimation of civilizational ethos that celebrates Dharma, development, and devotion in the same breath.
Deepotsav under Yogi Adityanath
The modern Deepawali Mahotsav was first conceived and organized in 2017, soon after Yogi Adityanath became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. What began as a modest cultural event on the Saryu riverbank has, within nine years, grown into a global festival of light, drawing pilgrims, devotees, and tourists from across Bharat and the world.
It was Yogi’s conviction that Ayodhya must not only be revered as Lord Ram’s birthplace but also developed as a model of urban, spiritual, and cultural renaissance. Supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, Deepotsav is now becoming the perfect symbol of this dual engine of faith and governance.
The rise of Deepotsav: A fifteen-fold growth
The table shows how the number of diyas, symbolic flames of faith, has multiplied over the years, tracing both Ayodhya’s transformation and the growing spiritual confidence of Bharat:
From barely 1.7 lakh diyas in 2017 to over 26 lakh in 2025, an astounding fifteen-fold increase in just nine years, represents not just numbers but the rise of Bharat’s civilizational, cultural, and Sanatan confidence.
From foundation to consecration: The turning point
The Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict and Prime Minister Modi’s laying of the Ram Mandir foundation stone in 2020 marked a historic course correction. By the time of the consecration (Pran Pratishtha) of Ram Lalla in January 2024, Mahotsav was not just a religious ceremony; it was a civilizational rebirth, ending centuries of denial and distortion by people of other faiths backed by misguided politicians.
Since then, Deepotsav has transformed from a festival of lights into a festival of national consciousness, where every diya honors Lord Ram and every glow reflects Bharat’s eternal Dharmic spirit.
Guinness Records and a global celebration of Dharma
The 2025 Deepotsav set two Guinness World Records: for the largest display of diyas and for the most people performing aarti simultaneously. More than 2,000 priests and devotees performed a synchronized Saryu Aarti, while flowers were raining from helicopters, transforming Ayodhya into a vision from the Treta Yuga.
Over 32,000 volunteers, including students from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University, made the event possible, lighting millions of lamps with 73,000 litres of oil and 5.5 million cotton wicks. Behind every diya is the hand of a potter, the devotion of a volunteer, and the pride of a state reclaiming its heritage.
Viksit Bharat 2047: Each diya as a symbol of progress
Every diya lit in Ayodhya is a symbol of Viksit Bharat, a glowing testimony that faith and development can go hand in hand. From the potters in surrounding villages to the artisans who design the ghats and temples, the festival has created a vibrant local economy rooted in tradition.
If the current growth continues, Deepotsav by 2047, the centenary of India’s independence and the year envisioned for Bharat as a “developed nation,” may become the largest festival of light in human history. It stands as a living metaphor for a civilization that does not choose between modernity and tradition but weaves both seamlessly.
Dual-engine governance: Dharma and development together
The harmony between Modi’s government in Delhi and Yogi’s in Lucknow, fondly called Do Engine Ki Sarkar, has been pivotal in transforming Ayodhya from a place of contention to celebration as a center of spiritual reverence.
Today, Ayodhya is not merely a pilgrimage city; it is a beacon of Bharat’s Dharmic diplomacy and developmental spirit. Deepotsav has become both a spiritual yajna and a cultural statement, reminding the world that Bharat’s rise is deeply rooted in its Sanatan values.
The eternal message of light
The 1,300-kilometer line of diyas in Ayodhya is more than a record in numbers; it is a spiritual reclamation and proclamation. The line of diyas is also like a river of light, which seems to flow endlessly, declaring the Upanishadic prayer, “Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya — Lead me from darkness to light.”
That light from the line of diyas, shining from Ayodhya to the world, symbolizes the victory over darkness. It is a proclamation that Bharat’s journey from subjugation to sovereignty, from faith to fulfillment, and from vision to vikas (development) is well underway.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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Formerly, a researcher in Italy, Japan, and France, he has widely travelled and came to the US in 1978. He was a faculty and academic administrator in several different universities in PA, TX, NJ, MN, WI, and NY, and an Executive Fellow in the White House S&T Policy during the Clinton administration.
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