Ayodhya sets new Guinness Record by lighting 26 lakh diyas during Deepotsav 2025
An event during Deepotsava 2025 in Ayodhya on Sunday. Photograph: (PTI)
UP set two new Guinness World Records: one for lighting 26,17,215 lamps and another for 2,128 Vedacharyas, priests, and seekers performing Maa Saryu Aarti simultaneously. Both achievements were verified through drone counts and certified by representatives of the Guinness World Records.
The holy city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh witnessed a grand spectacle on Sunday evening as 26,17,215 lamps were lit as part of Deepotsav 2025, marking the ninth edition of the grand celebration. Devotees from across India and abroad were present to witness the spectacle amid holy chants of “Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram.” The state of Uttar Pradesh set two new Guinness World Records: one for lighting 26,17,215 lamps across the city and another for 2,128 Vedacharyas, priests, and seekers performing Maa Saryu Aarti simultaneously. Both achievements were verified through drone counts and certified by representatives of the Guinness World Records.
Speaking on the occasion, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hit out at the opposition for their stance on the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and said lamps are being lit now where bullets were once fired.
“During the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in this very Ayodhya, Congress said Ram is a myth, while the Samajwadi Party fired bullets at Ram devotees,” Yogi said.
“Today, Uttar Pradesh does not have to face an identity crisis. We are now lighting lamps where bullets were once fired,” the UP CM said.
Criticising the opposition for turning down the invitation for the consecration ceremony, Yogi said, “These are the same people who prostrate at Babar’s grave, but when they are invited to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir, they reject it.”
Highlighting the transformation of the city, he said Ayodhya now showcases an “amazing confluence of development and heritage”.
“When we first decided to hold the Deepotsav in Ayodhya Dham in 2017, the intention was to show the world how lighting of lamps is done.”
This year, more than 26 lakh lamps were lit across 56 ghats in Ayodhya, with around 28 lakh lamps being arranged in advance with the aim of setting a new world record, officials said.
