Preparations are underway to make Ayodhya’s 10th Deepotsav a landmark event, with Vice President C P Radhakrishnan set to attend the celebrations. He will inaugurate the festival by lighting the first lamp at the Ram Temple, marking his first visit to Ayodhya as Vice President. He will also become the country’s first Vice President to participate in the Deepotsav celebrations.
This year, the target is to illuminate 56 ghats with 3 million diyas. In addition, major temples, monasteries, ponds and public places across the city will also be decorated with lamps, taking the total target to approximately 3.3 million diyas.
Since the inception of Ayodhya’s Deepotsav, the tradition of illuminating the city with lamps has remained central to the celebrations. Until now, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated the event by lighting the first lamp at the Ram Temple. This year, the responsibility will be entrusted to Vice President C P Radhakrishnan.
Following the lighting of the first lamp by the Vice President, the main Deepotsav celebrations will proceed across Ayodhya. He will also offer prayers to Ram Lalla at the temple. Earlier, former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar had visited the Ram Temple to offer prayers.
The main attraction of this year's Deepotsav will be the 56 ghats at Ram Ki Paidi and along the banks of the Saryu River. Approximately 3 million diyas are being arranged across these ghats.
The lamps are being placed in designated blocks and rows to facilitate their simultaneous lighting. Cleaning and marking work at the ghats began in advance to ensure that the arrangements are completed on schedule.
Students from Dr Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University and its affiliated educational institutions have been assigned volunteer responsibilities for the event.
Approximately 35,000 volunteers have been entrusted with the task of arranging and lighting the diyas. They include students from the university campus, degree colleges and intermediate colleges.
Volunteers have been assigned specific ghats and designated locations. Each team will be responsible for arranging the lamps in its allotted area and ensuring that they are illuminated on the day of the event.
The university administration is monitoring preparations at the ghats to ensure that all arrangements are completed within the निर्धारित timeframe.
Apart from the 56 ghats at Ram Ki Paidi, major temples, monasteries, ponds and public places across Ayodhya will also be decorated with lamps.
The target is to light approximately 300,000 additional diyas at different religious and tourist locations across the city. This will take the total number of lamps planned across Ayodhya to approximately 3.3 million.
Special arrangements are also being made at 241 monasteries and temples in Ayodhya, along with prominent locations along the Panchkosi Parikrama route. The preparations aim to extend the celebrations beyond the main event venue to other parts of the city.
Guptar Ghat is also expected to become an attraction during this year's Deepotsav. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is likely to light lamps there for the first time. However, final confirmation of the programme is still awaited.
Preparations are also underway to illuminate Suryakund and the Dashrath Samadhi site. The administration is seeking to include major religious and historical locations across Ayodhya in the celebrations, allowing devotees and tourists to experience the festival across the city.
Ayodhya is also expected to receive a series of development projects during the Deepotsav celebrations.
According to administrative sources, the Tourism Department has prepared a list of 284 projects with a combined estimated cost of approximately Rs 5,452.79 crore.
Of these, the inauguration of 152 projects and the foundation-laying ceremony for 132 projects have been proposed. Plans related to a circuit house in Ayodhya and a multipurpose building at the district court complex may also be included in the programme.
However, the final schedule for the inauguration and foundation-laying ceremonies will be decided separately.
The Deepotsav celebrations will include religious rituals and cultural programmes alongside the illumination of the city.
A collective aarti will be organised on the banks of the Saryu River. Performances depicting episodes from the Ramayana and presentations of folk art from different states will also form part of the programme.
Artists and event organisers are preparing for the cultural performances. Arrangements for lighting and decoration are also being made at the ghats to provide devotees with a view of the illuminated riverfront.
Last year, millions of diyas were lit across Ayodhya's 56 ghats. In 2025, more than 2.6 million lamps were illuminated, an event associated with a Guinness World Record.
This year, the administration has set a target of 3 million diyas at the 56 ghats, aiming to exceed the previous year's figure.
To meet the target, approximately 3.3 million diyas have been arranged. The additional lamps are intended to ensure that there is no shortage due to breakage during transportation and decoration.
Ayodhya's Deepotsav has evolved beyond a religious celebration and has become a significant part of the city's cultural identity and tourism activities. Large numbers of devotees and tourists visit the city every year for the event.
This year, the Vice President's participation and the proposed lighting of the first lamp at the Ram Temple by him are among the key features of the celebrations. With 3 million diyas planned across 56 ghats and another 300,000 at other locations, preparations are underway to illuminate Ayodhya with approximately 3.3 million lamps.
