Spotlight back on Ayodhya as Yogi Adityanath govt holds mega event 'deepotsav' today

Ayodhya: The Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is set to hold a mega event - 'Deepotsav'- on Wednesday during which at least one lakh and seventy one thousand earthen lamps will be lit on the banks of river Saryu to project the rich cultural heritage of Ayodhya - Lord Ram's birthplace.

The event will seek to create the celebratory atmosphere witnessed in Ayodhya on Lord Rama's return along with wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after victory over Ravana, as narrated in the epic Ramayana, according to UP government officials.

A series of programmes have been scheduled to celebrate Diwali in the pilgrim town, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Awanish Awasthi earlier said.

The "Deepotsav" will be organised on the 'Ram Ki Paidi' .

आप कैसे मना रहे हैं दीपोत्सव, #Deepotsav के साथ ट्विटर पर साझा कीजिए। pic.twitter.com/giKN3o8UFd — CM Office, GoUP (@CMOfficeUP) October 14, 2017

Prominent buildings and ghats will be illuminated to attract tourists.

The objective of the entire programme will be to promote Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama, as a tourist destination.

A heritage walk, a 'yatra' reminiscing the return of Lord Ram to Ayodhya, and the launch of several schemes by the Chief Minister and other dignitaries will be part of the programme, Awasthi said.

A grand "aarti" of River Saryu will also be performed by Chief Minister Adityanath and Governor Ram Naik followed by a laser show.

The Governor, during a recent visit to Varanasi, had said that Ayodhya, despite being an ancient cultural and religious destination, has faced neglect and now both the state and the Centre were trying to restore its glory.

Noting that Diwali is celebrated to mark the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after winning a war in Lanka, Naik had said the state government wants to portray the same scene.

"I believe, and you can imagine, that those who visit Ayodhya, whether they are domestic or foreign tourists, all carry a wish to see Lord Rama there. We hope the government will work keeping all these aspects in mind," the governor had said.

During today's programme, Ramlila will be staged by artistes from Indonesia and Thailand.

Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma will be present on the occasion. The Union Tourism Ministry has sanctioned Rs 133.70 crore for making Ayodhya a tourism hub.

The money sanctioned will be utilised in renovating ghats, including the Guptar Ghat, where Lord Rama had taken 'Samadhi', installing CCTV cameras, making police booths, construction of guest houses for tourists and auditorium at Digamgar Akhara.

The budget presented by the Yogi government, which came to power in March, had a special mention of Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura, earmarking Rs 1,240 crore for the Ramayan, Buddhist and Krishna circuits in these cities.

Earlier in May, the state government had re-started the popular Ram Leela at the Ayodhya Research Centre, after a hiatus of 17 months.

The practice of holding Ram Leela in Ayodhya was started by the then chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav in May 2004, but was stopped during Akhilesh Yadav's regime after the culture department refused to grant aid for the same.

The Yogi government has re-started the shows after sanctioning a handsome budget for the Ram Leela.

Adityanath has visited Ayodhya at least twice after assuming office and launched several projects worth crores of rupees for the city. The UP government also plans to install a grand statue of Lord Ram in the city.

To add a touch of fantasy to the event, a chopper decorated as the mythological 'Pushpak Viman', will descend on Ram Katha Park with artistes decked up to resemble Lord Ram, Sita and Laxman.

A 22-minute laser show with special sound effects on Ramayana will be the major attraction during the mega event at Ram Katha Park, Awasthi said.

"The aim of the programme is to attract tourists and showcase tourism spots and the potential of Ayodhya," he added.

Meanwhile, heavy police deployment has been made for the occasion. Over 1,000 policemen along with 10 companies of PAC and two companies of RAF have been deployed for security of the VVIPs, a senior police official said.

With PTI inputs