Holy Lucknow Ayodhya to light up like never before on Diwali

Lucknow: Ayodhya will light up like never before on Diwali this year. Though the disputed Ram Janambhoomi shrine will not witness any celebrations other than the usual ‘puja’, the banks of Saryu will be lit up with over a million lights. The main temples of the holy city will be illuminated and a grand programme will be held with the seers and saints participating in it.

This is for the first time the state government has made an official announcement on holding a grand function on Diwali in Ayodhya. The function will be held on ‘Chhoti Diwali’, a day before Diwali.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will celebrate Diwali in Ayodhya. “I am going to invite the governor to celebrate Diwali with us in Ayodhya and my Cabinet colleagues will also be there,” the CM told reporters in Gorakhpur. The chief minister is on a five day visit to Gorakhpur where he is participating in the navratri and Dussehra festivities in the Goraksh temple of which he is the chief priest. “The idea is to restore the glory of Ayodhya in Diwali,” said a senior official.

The Yogi government’s budget already makes a special mention of  Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura, earmarking Rs 1,240 crore for Ramayana, Buddhist and Krishna circuits in these cities. The budget was passed in July. In May, US restarted popular Ramlila at the Ayodhya Research Centre after a hiatus of 17 months.