Indian city hopes to achieve new world record with Diwali lights

New Delhi

The Indian city of Ayodhya on Monday staged a huge installation of lights to mark the eve of the Hindu Diwali festival.

Nearly 1.6 million oil lamps were lit in what the city hopes will be a new world record, local media reported on Monday.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the head of the Uttar Pradesh state government, Yogi Adityanath, attended the event.

No official confirmation from Guinness World Records was available.

The city has achieved world record in previous years for the largest display of oil lamps to date – in 2021, for example, for more than 900,000 lamps were lit.

The festival of lights, which is also called Deepavali in certain regions, is one of the most important festivals in Hinduism.

Families come together for the holiday and decorate their houses with lights. They honour Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity.

The festival also celebrates the victory of good over evil – or the victory of light over darkness.

According to Hindu belief, the city of Ayodhya is the birthplace of Ram, one of the most important Hindu deities.

-Ranjith Perera-