UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth has announced that Faizabad will be renamed as Ayodhya. Unlike the annual Diwali celebration in Ayodhya being a day-long event, this time the celebrations have been on for three days, today being the finale.
Yogi Adityanath is expected to make a big announcement today, during his visit to the historically important city. He is likely to announce plans for a grand statue of Lord Ram in his birthplace Ayodhya. Government sources said land for the statue will be acquired by the Uttar Pradesh government but the actual statue might be partially crowd-funded. The South Korean first lady is a chief guest at the event.
The biggest draw from today's Diwali celebration in Ayodhya will be the lighting of 3 lakh diyas along the banks of the Saryu river. It will be an attempt at a world record that the government narrowly missed last year. Around 1.7 lakh diyas were lit last year.
The celebrations this year are also very significant because of the huge political focus on the Ram temple issue, which has gained momentum ahead of next year's Lok Sabha polls.
Here are the LIVE Updates from Ayodhya Diwali celebrations:
Ayodhya Faizabad Yogi Adityanath Diwali Speech: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Renames DistrictFaizabad in Uttar Pradesh will be known as Ayodhya, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced today in a speech to mark the Diwali festival in the holy city revered by millions of Hindus as the birthplace of Lord Ram." itemprop="description
Trade and tourism between India and Korea will also rise in the time to come: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister @myogiadityanath at Diwali gathering pic.twitter.com/A4uUUdj652
- NDTV (@ndtv) November 6, 2018
- Ties between Korea and India go back a long way in history... We all know that nearly 2000 years ago, the princess of Ayodhya had married the prince of Korea.
- The Korean First Lady's visit to Ayodhya will take the cultural ties between India and Korea to new heights.
South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-Sook arrives at Ayodhya's Queen Hau Park to attend annual Diwali celebration in the city; received by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
- NDTV (@ndtv) November 6, 2018
Track LIVE updates here: https://t.co/uFnXzKWoF7 pic.twitter.com/A0eJNVsOgB
