Diwali: Indian holy city records highest number of oil lamps

A north Indian city has maintained its Guinness World Record for lighting the highest number of oil lamps in celebration of Diwali for the second year running.

The holy city of Ayodhya, where Hindus believe the god Ram was born and where he returned after 14 years in exile, lit 606,569 oil lamps and kept them burning for at least 45 minutes.

Thousands of volunteers took part in the lighting of the lamps along the banks of the Saryu River, in the streets and in houses on Friday evening.

Last year, they lit 409,000 oil lamps.

Shishir Kumar, government spokesperson for the state of Uttar Pradesh, said the lamps were a stunning spectacle for thousands of visitors.

Photographs of the event showed people gathering to light and look at the lamps, many taking no notice of coronavirus social distancing norms as they celebrated the festival of lights.

A procession of revellers walked five kilometres through the city to the Naya Ghat temple, where fireworks were set off and a laser light show dazzled those watching.

Representatives from Guinness World Records awarded a certificate to Yogi Adityanath, the state’s top elected official, after monitoring the ceremony with drone-mounted cameras, said Mr Kumar.

Elsewhere in India, crowds of people were seen filling shopping areas in New Delhi in the days leading up to Saturday – giving the country’s business community some hope after months of lockdown but also raising fears that an upsurge of coronavirus cases will follow.

Praveen Khandelwal, general secretary of the Confederation of All India Traders, said: “The past three days have seen a tremendous increase in customer footfall in shopping markets for festival purchases.”

Diwali celebrations are significantly scaled down in other parts of the world. In Malaysia, where approximately two million people of Indian heritage live, most revellers have restricted their festivities to small gatherings in the home as the country undergoes its second national lockdown.

Some Hindu temples will hold smaller celebrations due to the country’s conditional movement control order (CMCO), and religious leaders have called on families to hold prayer sessions at home.

Similarly in the UK, where current coronavirus restrictions bar people from mixing in each others’ homes and in public places, those observing the Hindu festival will be staying indoors and celebrating with their own households instead of having a big get together with friends and family.

Additional reporting by AP