Here are 2.6 million reasons why Ayodhya’s Diwali was a record-shattering spectacle

What do 26.17 lakh lit diyas look like?

What do 2,128 people performing ‘aarti’ together look like?

This is what Ayodhya, the holy temple city in Uttar Pradesh looked like on Sunday evening on the auspicious day of Diwali as people from all over gathered to light the lakhs of diyas (lamps) and perform prayers together.

And this amazing spectacle to watch once again shattered records with representatives from the Guinness World Records verifying the count of the diyas using drones and made the announcement.

The festivities at the Saryu River began at 5 pm and continued until 8 pm, bathing the entire city in Diwali lights. According to Guinness officials, two records were established on Sunday (October 19) – the lighting of 26,17,215 diyas along with the record for the most people simultaneously performing diya rotation.

And to achieve this, was no easy feat. It took over 32,000 volunteers from Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University and local organisations to make it possible.

The UP government has, over successive years, made and broken its own records in orchestrating the largest displays of diyas in a single location. In 2023 and 2024, more than 2.2 million and 2.5 million lamps lit up the Saryu banks, respectively.

The 2025 celebrations also featured a laser show, music, and cultural performances by national and international troupes, alongside colourful tableaux depicting iconic episodes from the revered Ramayan. A Saryu maha aarti unfolded against the river’s glowing banks, with Vedic scholars chanting hymns that mingled with the shimmering lamps.