404,026 Clay Lamps, 550,000 Baati
26,000 litres of Oil and millions of little Flames
When thousands of Students cheer
Lighting one lamp after another
And the Flame burning steadily
Evokes that irrevocable Spirit
Of Goodness over evil
And Knowledge over ignorance
Be Dazzled by this Wonder
On the Banks of River Sarayu
Welcome to DEEPOTSAV
At RAM KI PAIDI, AYODHYA
Watch the Majestic laser show at Deepotsav
Deepawali or Diwali, is the Festival of Lights and one of the most spectacular festivals of India.
This grand illumination of light has varied narrations in Hindu mythology and Deepawali is celebrated across the country with different rituals and traditions.
I have grown up hearing the tales of Ramayana from my mother, about the Victory of Righteousness, and Deepawali as the Celebration of Shree Ram’s return to His kingdom, Ayodhya after completing his 14-year exile.
While, the illumination of clay lamps and fireworks, homes decorated with flowers and Rangoli, preparation of savouries and sweets have always been integral to the festivity, I had often imagined about this festive fervour in Ayodhya (City in the State of Uttar Pradesh).
It was during a meeting last year with Ms. Preeti Srivastava, Deputy Director at the Department of Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh, I was able to gauge the scale of activity that was being planned to make Deepotsav, a mega event. She explained the elaborate preparations and suggested that it was definitely worth a visit.
Back home, I called my friends and discussed about this ‘once in a lifetime’ moment waiting to happen. Without any deliberation or thought, we finalised our trip to attend Deepotsav at Ayodhya and booked our tickets to Lucknow (Capital city of the State of Uttar Pradesh).
We landed in Lucknow a day before Deepotsav. The city was glowing with bright outdoor announcements on Deepotsav. We had decided to stay in Lucknow and travel to Ayodhya by road.
The roads were great and our spirits were soaring. We stopped by twice to catch the local flavour of Kullad wali Chai (tea served in an earthen cup) and Kachori.
On reaching Ayodhya, we visited Hanuman Garhi Temple, one of the most revered and ancient temples of Ayodhya to seek Lord Hanuman’s Blessings.
It was His Blessings that helped us to get a glimpse of Shree Ram’s Divine Shrine.
That unexpected moment and the outpouring of joy still reverberates within us.
With the sky changing colours with rays of the setting sun, there was a swarm of people moving towards Ram ki Paidi (Ram ki Paidi is a series of ghats on the banks of River Sarayu).
Accompanied by the nice winter evening breeze, we walked on the beautifully lit riverfront and witnessed the magnificent and massive arrangements that were underway.
Light and sound checks, mike announcements being made to the thousands of students and volunteers working on the placement of lamps across 12 ghats.
It was a vibrant ambience of young, energetic people working with passion and perfection on a common mission, united in every way.
THE GUINNESS WORLD RECORD MOMENT
BEHOLD THE ASTONISHING NUMBERS :
Coming together of 29 Schools and Colleges
With over 7000 Students, Teachers, NCC and NSS
26 NGOs and other institutions who joined this mission
Hundreds of hours of preparation and rehearsals
404,026 Diyas (clay lamps)
550,000 Baati (braided cotton wicks)
26,000 litres of mustard Oil from 1700 oil cans
15 kg of Camphor for the Baati
6000 Sticks to light the Lamps
Millions of lights spread over 2 kms
500,000 visitors over 3 days
Across 12 Ghats at Ram ki Paidi
DEEPOTSAV – The Biggest Display of Oil Lamps in the World
BEHIND THE MAKING OF DEEPOTSAV
I have always believed that behind any successful initiative, there has to be a compelling vision and an all consuming passion to make it happen.
Sometimes, people behind these accomplishments are known to the world, and there are others who Dream to make a difference, Lead and Deliver.
Professor Manoj Dixit , University of Lucknow
Meet Professor Manoj Dixit, ex Vice Chancellor, Dr. Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University, Ayodhya and now, Professor of Public Administration at the University of Lucknow.
In 2015, Professor Dixit was inspired by the Golden Arc plan – of connecting Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi and developing these satellites in such a way that tourists visiting Agra would be enticed to spend 3 more nights in each of these cities, thereby boosting tourism and ensuring economic impact in the State of Uttar Pradesh.
After many rounds of discussion with his friends in the tourism business and academia, which Professor fondly remembers as the ‘Think Tank’, he envisioned something novel to promote tourism in Ayodhya, given the city’s proximity to Lucknow.
After a recce of various points in the city, he conceptualised two heritage programmes for Ayodhya.
The first one was a curated Heritage Walk alongside River Sarayu, from Kanchan Bhavan concluding at Shri Nageshwarnath Temple. This is a 2 kms Walk which takes around 2 hours to complete.
The second one was the most challenging, of hosting a stunning light show, never seen before. The task ahead was a mammoth one and Professor Dixit remained undaunted.
In 2017, while the administration supported his initiative with clay lamps, oil, camphor and baati, Professor Dixit managed to mobilise support of Students, Teachers, NCC, NSS and NGOs like Red Cross and other institutions who joined this programme, almost like a movement for Ayodhya.
Professor recalls the high point of this programme, “In the first year, we had a requirement of 250,000 Diyas (clay lamps) in a span of 16 days which were not readily available. These Diyas are larger than usual as they have to hold 50-60 ml. of oil, so that it can remain in lit position for atleast 30-45 minutes.
We had identified a village, Jaisinghpur, about 15 kms away from Ayodhya, a village which was predominantly known for the Kumbhar community. When we reached there, we found that there were just a dozen of Kumbhars (potters) left in the village.
We spoke to the Kumbhars and they willingly agreed to take up the challenging task of working day and night. They, however, put across a condition that every lot of 10,000 ready diyas had to be picked up daily, as they did not have storage space.
In a span of 3 years, with the growing requirement of Diyas for Deepotsav and other places in and around Ayodhya, Jaisinghpur has had a fresh lease of life.
More number of Kumbhars have joined the settlement, and the younger generation who had left home have come back and modernised the equipment with electric wheels, and have started their own small business unit, packaging and marketing of their Diyas.
I do believe that the purpose of this activity should be to create everything locally, which will provide employment to atleast 1500 to 2000 families.”
Kumbhar at Jaisinghpur village
With Deepotsav’s sparkling journey from 2017 with 180,000 Diyas in 8 ghats and over 3000 students and volunteers, to 2019 with 404,026 Diyas in 12 Ghats with over 7000 students and a World Record, Professor Dixit has not stopped dreaming.
He wants to recreate Deepotsav celebrations from Bharat Kund (Nandigram) to Ayodhya and believes that this 17 km stretch can transform into an economic zone, providing huge employment and livelihood to thousands.
“And Ayodhya should certainly be one of UNESCO’s World Heritage cities as it fulfils 7 out of 10 of UNESCO’s Criteria of Selection, which is so unique.” shares Professor Dixit.
Email : manojdixit23@gmail.com
COUNTDOWN TO DEEPOTSAV
Prof. Dixit briefing the team during the Planning session on the Ghat
As the countdown to Deepotsav begins, there are crucial stages that are systematically followed with thorough precision and clockwork.
Familiarisation of new volunteers and planning of the event is held on the Ghats, one week before Deepotsav.
Line Drawing on the Ghats
With two days to go, Students and volunteers gather across all the 12 Ghats for Chalk line drawing of rows for the placement of Diyas.
Simultaneously, there is a Counting process to determine the number of Diyas that will get placed in these rows.
If the numbers are found inadequate against the targeted figure, provisions are made to add more rows to accommodate more Diyas.
Theme : SHREE RAM DARBAR created by Students from the Department of Fine Arts
Students from the Department of Fine Arts, Dr. Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University separately work on the Main theme with mega figures which is drawn with chalks .
Placement of all the Diyas is completed a day before and is a laborious process which takes over 9-10 hours.
Placement of Diyas
On the Day of Deepotsav, placement of Baati with camphor powder and oil in the Diyas begins from 9 am and gets completed a few hours before the main event.
Every Ghat has a pre decided allocation of students and volunteers from different organisations and NGOs.
Each Ghat is under the supervision of a Teacher who is the team leader.
Every lane which has 10 lines with approx.1000 Diyas is monitored by one Volunteer.
Lighting of Diyas with sticks
Amidst the holy chants, when the Diyas are lit, some by hands, some by long sticks given the multiple layers, the temperature soars close to 60 degrees.
Yet, the joy of participation and energy across the Ghats is remarkable. It is a magical display of teamwork and skill that makes Deepotsav come alive.
LIGHTING OF DIYAS AT DEEPOTSAV
Mangal ji On Duty at Deepotsav 2020
After the placement of all the Diyas, the biggest worry of every participant is the
unexpected trail of monkeys who come visiting the Ghats….. placement of Diyas.
The common tack of using Langurs to scare monkeys away from the Ghats has
worked here as well.
Some claim that these monkeys have now got used to this annual affair and walk
through the lanes without disturbing the placement of Diyas.
TRIVIA
OUR DEEPOTSAV MOMENT
After watching the spectacular Laser show which depicts the Life of Shree Ram, we walked across to the river front to get a closer view of the dazzling lights.
Some of the Diyas had stopped burning as it was windy. We did not lose a moment, and lit up those Diyas, borrowing a little flame from each other.
In that endless stretch of light, I have experienced Divinity. The profoundness of that moment being surrounded by millions of sparkles is inexplicable.
BIG THANK YOU
Ms.Preeti Srivastava ( 4th from right in the picture), Deputy Director, Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh
Overwhelmed with the experience at Deepotsav which will remain with us this lifetime, we managed to catch a few minutes with Ms. Preeti Srivastava and thanked her for being our guiding force.
We did see her unabated spirit in making things happen, of supervising the arrangements of various events and visits of dignitaries, and specially the spectacular Laser show which was perfected over several rehearsals the previous evening.
It is certainly not easy to find perfection in such a maze, is what we told her at the end of it all. She smiled and said, “Sometimes, life brings forth an unusual opportunity which leaves behind a lasting impression.
Deepotsav is that rare moment of my life and I am fortunate to have been a part of this celebration. Many years ahead in time, I can always look back and feel proud that I had contributed to this event in my own small way.”
DEEPOTSAV 2019 COMMEMORATIVE: INDIAN POSTAL STAMP
Let’s applaud the achievement of this young, 24 year old, Rohit Pal who has brilliantly captured Deepotsav through his lens. Photography is his passion and he has received many accolades at a National level for his outstanding pictures on Deepotsav.
In 2019, The Indian Postal Department selected one of the photographs taken by him at Deepotsav and released it as a Postal stamp. This will remain Rohit’s moment of glory and an inspiration for many.
Rohit, a Civil Engineer from Bharat Institute of Technology (BIT), Meerut, considers himself to be lucky to be a part of all the editions of this mega event, and says,
“The enthusiasm of the students, volunteers and spectators present, the grandness of the event, lakhs of Diyas all placed in definite patterns is a heavenly sight.The whole atmosphere here, the vibe and the extraordinary – display of lights, is something every Indian should experience.”
This year, Rohit has been felicitated with the ‘Student of the Year’ award at Dr.Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University, Ayodhya.
Email : rohitpal888@gmail.com
Rohit’s stunning pictures in this blog on Deepotsav makes it special
WHATS IN STORE AT DEEPOTSAV AND AYODHYA THIS YEAR
As Ayodhya awaits the Fourth edition of Deepotsav on Saturday, 13th November, 2020, I reached out to Dr. Manish Singh, Assistant Professor, Applied Science and Humanities at Dr. Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University, Ayodhya.
He is occupied with many things as the countdown has begun, yet has taken time out to share those astonishing numbers “We have arranged for 597,000 Diyas, 625,000 Baati, 27,000 litres of mustard oil, 20 kg of Camphor and over 8000 students and volunteers are working on 24 Ghats, keeping in mind social distancing norms. Deepotsav will shine even brighter this year.”
LIGHTING OF AYODHYA NAGAR NIGAM KARYALAYA FOR DEEPOTSAV 2020
This Deepawali, Ayodhya will adorn a new glow, beyond the sparkle of the Diyas.
There is a clear emphasis to make the city look clean and beautiful.
Sanitisation of the entire city, cleaning of roads and public toilets, building new public toilets and installation of 2 crore street lights are all in the final stages of completion.
Ayodhya looks beautiful with Artwork on city walls and ghats organised by Ayodhya Nagar Nigam
Artwork on city walls and on the Ghats of River Sarayu, renovation and restoration of water fountains in chowks and chaurahas will add to the splendour of the city.
Ayodhya Nagar Nigam under the able leadership of Shri Vishal Singh, Municipal Commissioner, Ayodhya and Vice Chairman, Ayodhya Development Authority is driving this refreshing change.
Shri Vishal Singh, Municipal Commissioner, Ayodhya and Vice Chairman, Ayodhya
Development Authority with women from Swayam Sahaayta Samuh
With Vishal Sir at the helm, newness and change for a better tomorrow are elements that are intrinsic to his way of doing things.
He has encouraged a group of women under the Swayam Sahaayta Samuh to come together and develop Diyas made of cowdung and soil. This is perhaps, the first of its kind Diyas made in India and will support the livelihood of women who hail from difficult background.
Over 30 women were specially trained to make these special Diyas by Sahakar Bharati, in collaboration with Ayodhya Nagar Nigam.
This Deepawali, these special Diyas will illuminate Devi Sita’s Kanak Bhawan and Lakshman Ghat in Ayodhya.
Women from Swayam Sahaayta Samuh with Diyas made of cowdung and soil
EK DIYA MERA BHI
EK DIYA MERA BHI (A Lamp from My side), is a special initiative that Ayodhya Nagar Nigam has launched this year.
The programme has generated huge participation and people from across the country – from metros to small towns of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand have arranged to send Diyas to Ayodhya. The overall count of these Diyas is expected to cross 100,000 units by Deepotsav.
Shri Vishal Singh is overjoyed with this support and mentions, “We express our gratitude to the people of India who have taken special efforts to participate in this initiative during these difficult times. We have made special arrangements to light these Diyas in a designated ghat on Deepotsav, which will represent the Devotion, Faith and Unity that binds our country so beautifully.”
AYODHYA ADORNS A NEW GLOW
DIVYA DEEPOTSAV 2020
NEW GUINNESS WORLD RECORD
Remember reading about the Milky way ?
And the cosmic island of Stars
More than all the grains of sand
Come witness the biggest Galaxy on Earth
Glitter of 606,559 Diyas
As 800,000 Baati shine in glory
Soaked in 30,000 litres of oil
And the power of Camphor
Unwearied 10,000 Students and volunteers
With 30,000 Candles and 6000 Sticks
Light up the 24 Ghats at Ram Ki Paidi
At SHREE RAM’s AYODHYA
Deepotsav’s stunning photo coverage by Mr. Rohit Pal. He has been recently
honoured with ‘Nation Building Award’ for Excellence in Social work
HOW TO GET THERE ?
Nearest Airport :
Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow.
Distance by road from Lucknow to Ayodhya:135 km Duration: 2.5 – 3 hours
Fabulous Article Anusua ji
Jai shree Ram 🙏
Shree Ram’s Ayodhya and Deepotsav glitters.
Beauty your research and revealing facts.
Prof Manoj Dixit’s idea is today a World event at Ram ki Paidi – 12 ghats in 2 kms, 7000 students, 404,026 Clay lamps, 550,000 Bati, 26000 liters Mustard Oil, 6000 sticks. Unbelievable…It’s must Visit,
Congratulations
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