Ayodhya lit up for Diwali

Ayodhya: The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday went all out in marking the homecoming of Lord Ram to this holy town – the mythical event in 'treta yug' on which the festival of Diwali is based. So, there was the reenactment of the arrival of God Ram and Goddess Sita on their 'pushpak viman', a laser and sound show, cultural programmes and the lighting of a record 5.51 lakh earthen lamps on the banks of the Saryu. The figure has been claimed by the government.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel were there at Ayodhya's 'Deepotsav', the first since the groundbreaking ceremony earlier this year of a Ram temple in the holy town. Several new development projects were launched to mark the occasion.

"Our generation is not only fortunate to see the start of the construction of a Ram temple here but we also attended the historic event. In the struggle of 500 years, many saints passed away with a dream to see the start of construction. I thank PM Modi who is the one who implemented the ideology of Ram Rajya," Adityanath said while addressing the 'Deepotsav' event here.

Actors representing Lord Ram, Goddess Sita and Lakshman descended on the Saryu bank in a 'pushpak viman' -- a helicopter that sprinkled rose petals -- and were received by the governor and the chief minister.

The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh started Deepotsav celebration in Ayodhya after Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister in March 2017.