In the holy city of Ayodhya, a new Guinness World Record has been set.
More than 300 thousand clay oil lamps were lit on the eve of Diwali, also known as the festival of lights.
In India, Diwali is one of the most important festivals. One common tradition is to place oil lamps (diyas) at the thresholds of homes and shops for five days, to celebrate the return of the Hindu god. Legend says after 14 years of exile, Lord Rama, the Hindu god, returned to his kingdom, and diyas were lit to welcome his return.
For five minutes, the banks of the Sarayu river, which flows through Ayodhya, were brimmed in golden lights of diyas. The Sarayu river is also a place of significance during Ram Navami, the celebration of the birthday of Lord Rama.
Compared to the previous record, set with 150,009 lamps, this new record has almost doubled the number of lamps simultaneously lit. The previous record was achieved in a neighboring state, Haryana, in 2016.
