When over 30 lakh oil lamps lit up the ghats of Ayodhya on the night of Deepotsav 2026, millions of devotees filled every bank of the Sarayu river — and by dawn, the Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh reported something that made the event doubly remarkable: the ghats were spotless. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath personally noted the feat, posting a tribute to the sanitation workers who made it possible.

In his post, CM Yogi Adityanath observed: 'Lakhs of devotees reached Ayodhya Dham on the occasion of Deepotsav. More than 30 lakh lamps were lit... crowds of devotees remained until late at night. Despite this, when I saw in the morning, all the ghats were clean and beautiful. There was no dirt, disorder, or chaos anywhere. This is in itself a wonderful achievement. I congratulate all the sanitation workers who completed this entire task in an organized manner.' The tribute, rare in its directness, put a spotlight not on the spectacle but on the people behind it.

Nine Years of Deepotsav — and a Rising Standard

The Uttar Pradesh government has organised Deepotsav annually in Ayodhya since 2017, the year CM Yogi took office, turning what was once a local religious observance into one of India's most-watched public cultural events. The festival centres on the mass lighting of earthen lamps along the Sarayu ghats to commemorate the return of Lord Rama — a tradition that has grown each year in scale and ambition.

Ayodhya, long revered as the birthplace of Lord Rama, gained renewed national prominence after the inauguration of the Ram Temple in 2024. Since then, the city has seen large-scale infrastructure investment by the state government to handle the surge in pilgrims, particularly during festivals like Diwali.

The Quiet Work Behind the Grand Spectacle

Managing the aftermath of a festival that draws millions to riverbanks overnight is a logistical challenge in itself. Sanitation crews at Ayodhya's ghats must work through the night and into the early hours to clear flower offerings, lamp remnants, and waste before morning prayers begin. CM Yogi's acknowledgment of their work by name — rather than as an afterthought — signals an intent to make cleanliness as central to the festival's identity as the lamps themselves.

The state's pairing of large religious events with visible urban cleanliness is part of a deliberate strategy to position Ayodhya as a model pilgrimage destination — one where scale and order coexist. That the ghats passed the morning-after test, by the Chief Minister's own account, adds a concrete data point to that narrative.