Deepotsav Ayodhya: The Festival of Lamps

What it celebrates

Diwali is, at its root, Ayodhya's own festival. When Shri Ram returned after fourteen years of exile and the war in Lanka, the Yuddha Kanda says the people decorated the city and lit rows of lamps to welcome him home. Every Diwali lamp lit anywhere in the world remembers that night. Deepotsav, "the festival of lamps", is the city reliving it on the same ground.

What happens

In its present large-scale form Deepotsav has been organised by the Government of Uttar Pradesh since 2017 on the evening before Diwali.

• The lamps. Tens of thousands of volunteers, many of them students, lay out earthen diyas in patterns on every step of Ram ki Paidi and the neighbouring ghats, fill them with oil and light them together at dusk. The count has grown each year and has passed two million, repeatedly setting a world record for the largest display of oil lamps.
• The homecoming. Artists playing Ram, Sita and Lakshmana arrive in a ceremonial "Pushpaka Vimana" and are received as the people of Ayodhya received them, followed by a symbolic coronation.
• Shobha yatra. A procession of tableaux on scenes from the Ramayana moves through the city during the day.
• Ramlila and culture. Troupes from different Indian states and from countries with their own Ramayana traditions perform.
• Saryu aarti, laser show and fireworks close the evening.

The meaning

A lamp is small; darkness is driven out only when many are lit together. The people of Ayodhya had waited fourteen years, governed by a pair of sandals. The festival is about faithful waiting rewarded, and about a community's joy when a good ruler returns. Read Ram Rajya: leadership as service.

How to attend

• Dates follow the lunar calendar; check them for your year and book rooms a month or more ahead.
• Entry to the ghats is regulated, with separate enclosures and passes for some areas. Follow the district administration's announcements for the public viewing points.
• Vehicles are stopped well outside the area. Arrive by mid-afternoon, wear comfortable shoes and expect to walk.
• The lamps are lit around sunset and burn for an hour or two. Much of the city, including the temples, is illuminated, so there is a great deal to see even away from the main venue.
• Keep children close, fix a meeting point, and be careful near lamps and open flames with loose clothing.
• Stay on for Diwali itself and the days after, which lead into the Kartik Parikrama.

Also see Safety tips for pilgrims.