Ayodhya Deepotsav: CM Yogi at Deepotsav 2025: Ayodhya's Lamps Symbolize Victory Over 500 Years of Darkness

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath performed puja and offered prayers to artists portraying Lord Ram and Sita during the grand Deepotsav 2025 celebrations in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Addressing the gathering, CM Yogi declared that these lamps symbolize the victory over 500 years of darkness, asserting that truth may be troubled but never defeated. He highlighted the transformation from Lord Ram residing in a tent to now being enshrined in a magnificent temple, a result of a 500-year struggle.

Deepotsav's Historical Significance and Origin

Recalling the first Deepotsav in 2017, CM Yogi mentioned the scarcity of. Lamps, requiring them to be collected from across the state, resulting in 1. 71 lakh lamps being lit. He elaborated that thousands of years ago, Ayodhya illuminated lamps to welcome its deity, a tradition that evolved into the great festival of Sanatan Dharma. The Deepotsav program has been held annually with grandeur since the BJP government came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, with millions of lamps now illuminating Ayodhya Dham.

Ayodhya: A Symbol of Dignity and Faith

CM Yogi described Ayodhya as the foremost among the seven holy cities, where dharma itself descended in human form. He emphasized, "Every particle here embodies dignity, every lamp compassion, and every heart Lord Shri Ram. " He stressed that these lamps represent not just light, but the victory of faith over 500 years of humiliation and struggle, while he also criticized the opposition, stating that Congress called Ram a myth and the Samajwadi Party fired upon Ram devotees, urging people to remember their hypocrisy.

Controversy Over Deputy CMs' Absence

Notably absent from this year's Deepotsav were Governor Anandiben Patel and both Deputy Chief Ministers, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak. Sources suggest that the Deputy CMs were upset over their exclusion from advertisements for the event. Advertisements published in newspapers today featured PM Modi and CM Yogi alongside Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh and Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, but not the Deputy CMs. Akhilesh Yadav also took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize this, while the Information Department clarified that Shahi is Ayodhya's in-charge minister, and Jaiveer Singh is the Culture Minister, hence their inclusion.