Ayodhya is preparing to host the 10th edition of Deepotsav on November 7, with Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan scheduled to attend the celebrations. The event will feature international Ramleela performances, a special exhibition tracing 500 years of Ayodhya’s history and the Ram Temple movement, and the lighting of more than 30 lakh earthen lamps.
During his visit, the Vice President will offer prayers at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, participate in the symbolic coronation ceremony of Prabhu Shri Ram and felicitate revered saints.
The celebrations, being organised under the leadership of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, will take place a day ahead of Diwali, which falls on November 8.
International Ramleela performances from five countries
This year’s Deepotsav will feature Ramleela performances by artists from five countries, adding an international dimension to the festival.
Two teams from South Africa, along with performers from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Laos and Thailand, have been proposed to participate. Preparations are also underway to invite artists from the Philippines and Russia.
Around 2,500 artists from India and abroad will showcase their performances across 12 stages, comprising six small, four medium-sized and two large stages.
The cultural programme will also include Ramcharitra and Ramkatha-based performances representing Assam, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala.
The performances will showcase different cultural interpretations of the Ramayana through diverse languages, costumes, performing arts and folk traditions.
Ashutosh Dwivedi, adviser and Officer on Special Duty at the Ayodhya International Ramayana and Vedic Research Institute, said the participation of Indian and international artists would enhance the cultural diversity of the festival, create opportunities for local performers and support tourism-related businesses.
The initiative aims to position Deepotsav as an international cultural event and strengthen Ayodhya’s identity as a global centre of Ramayana heritage.
Exhibition to trace 500 years of Ayodhya’s history
A special exhibition at Ram Katha Park will showcase Ayodhya’s 500-year historical journey, the Ram Temple movement and the city’s transformation.
Organised by the Culture Department, the exhibition will trace significant developments from 1500 AD to the present, offering visitors insights into Ayodhya’s historical, religious, cultural and social heritage.
Through historical documents, cultural presentations and enactment-based performances, it will highlight the contributions of prominent personalities associated with the Ram Temple movement, key milestones in the movement and the journey towards the construction of the present-day Ram Temple.
The exhibition will also showcase the development of the Ram Temple complex and Ayodhya’s infrastructure, including improvements in roads, tourism facilities, public amenities and urban infrastructure.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to visit the exhibition and review the historical documents and cultural presentations.
Dwivedi said the exhibition would bring together the history of the Ram Temple movement, the construction of the temple and the city’s changing urban landscape at one venue. It also aims to familiarise younger generations and visitors from across the world with Ayodhya’s cultural heritage.
(With ANI inputs)
